The Domestic Gacha Game, Abnormal Hunters
After washing my face roughly in the Awakened Association’s restroom, I headed straight home.
After lying down for about thirty minutes, the alcohol seemed to have worn off a little.
I couldn't remember exactly what kind of nonsense I’d spewed during the drinking party.
Judging by the incessant notification sounds, it seemed I had handed out my number to every Awakened in sight.
...I could tell just by looking at the messages.
I had clearly lost my mind and chugged whiskey.
Let's just think of it as "all's well that ends well."
Yoo Iseul had advised me to make a proper impression, and since I’d managed to get the contact info of several Awakened as she suggested, I could call that a successful mission, right?
The most common message was, without a doubt, "Please send me the photos we took."
Checking my phone's gallery, there were well over dozens of selfies with various Awakened.
My expression in every single one of them was completely wasted, eyes rolling back in my head.
...There was even one where someone was openly touching my chest while taking the selfie.
Thankfully, it wasn't a man; it was a female Awakened.
Seriously, I’m not joking—I don't remember a single thing.
...Well, obviously.
My last memory was finishing two bottles of expensive whiskey.
It makes no sense to be sober after downing 750ml of 40-50% proof whiskey twice over.
At that point, I’d already exceeded any human limit.
Even after I blacked out, I probably drank at least one more bottle, didn't I?
Anyway, I started sending the selfies to the Awakened one by one while cleaning out my gallery.
I didn't forget to include a message saying, "I'm sorry if I made any mistakes," and, "Please don't upload these to the internet."
While I was organizing the gallery:
Seo Jiyoon sent me a photo.
"Hup."
Seeing the photo, I was momentarily speechless, staring blankly at my phone screen.
...This crazy woman, what's with that expression?
No, expression aside, when did I hug Kim Mincheol that tightly?
It’s embarrassing.
Even while feeling embarrassed, the corners of my mouth were strangely curling upward.
Uh.
Hmm.
This photo is staying sealed in my gallery forever.
...I'll keep it for personal collection.
The next day.
I started my stream as usual and spent about an hour chatting and playing with my followers.
Some might worry that now that I have a partnership, I’d lose my sense of purpose and slack off on streaming...
No.
It’s actually the opposite.
Since getting the partner badge, I’ve been working much harder on my streams than before.
There are two main reasons for this.
First, to live up to the expectations of the platform that gave me the partner badge.
Second, because streaming is fun.
The first reason is one thing, but the second one surprises even me.
Yeah, streaming is fun.
Of course, watching Ayase’s stream is still incomparably more fun than doing my own, but at least now, it doesn't feel like I'm doing it out of obligation.
How should I put it?
From the moment I linked my virtual avatar, I felt a sense of comfort, like I’d returned home.
...I guess my true name isn't Lee Jia (Vtuber) for nothing.
"Surprisingly, I actually prepared content today."
Now that I'm a professional streamer, if I turn on the stream without preparing content beforehand, I feel a bit self-conscious.
In that sense, I've been preparing content before starting my streams lately.
I prepared something for today, too.
...I won't bother refuting that.
Because what I prepared today is definitely underground, not mainstream content.
"I'm going to try out *Abnormal Hunters*."
*Abnormal Hunters*.
With its well-designed characters, compelling level design, appropriate difficulty that stimulates the desire for a challenge, extreme vertical content for the veterans, and the cherry on top—the sincerity of releasing new skins every month.
It is the proudest domestic gacha game that has achieved the greatest success among mobile games based on anomalies and Awakened.
Looking at it this far, you might think, "Isn't it just a well-made gacha game?" but...
Ugh.
There's a problem.
All the Awakened in this game, except for about twenty, are all female characters.
And those female characters are either extremely busty or extremely loli-like.
In short, *Abnormal Hunters* is an extreme male-oriented game that pursues male-oriented tastes to the absolute limit.
As soon as I declared I would try *Abnormal Hunters*:
My followers started making a huge fuss.
It wasn't just an overreaction, either, because the characters in *Abnormal Hunters* wear such lewd outfits and strike such strange poses that you can't help but ask, "Is it really okay to do this?"
It’s a realm beyond lewdness and obscenity.
It makes you wonder how it even passed domestic censorship.
Naturally, when this game was first released, the Awakened Association, the organization with absolute power, strongly opposed it.
They didn't want to infringe on creative freedom, but they claimed this game crossed the line.
But well... since it’s a game featuring only characters that are impossibly busty or impossibly loli-like, which could never exist in reality.
Since they didn't base the characters on actual Awakened, the Awakened Association just ended up issuing a simple warning and didn't actually put pressure on the game company.
In the first place, the Association wouldn't have been able to apply pressure even if they wanted to.
No matter how much the Awakened Association is the highest power organization, they can't ignore public reaction.
As I said, *Abnormal Hunters* is the most successful game among all games based on Awakened.
It’s not just in Korea; it’s expanded overseas and is considered one of the top three subculture games in sales.
Anyway.
There is only one reason why I brought up *Abnormal Hunters* at this rather sudden timing.
"Actually, I have something to tell you guys. I got homework?"
"It’s not just ordinary homework... should I call this homework? No, I should call it a collaboration. Yep, it’s a collaboration."
As soon as I mentioned the word "collaboration," countless hooks started rising in the chat.
Right.
It’s surprising news even to me, so imagine how the followers feel.
When I first received the collaboration proposal email, I thought it was a lie.
Soon, I changed the stream background to the one provided by *Abnormal Hunters* and recited the pre-prepared script.
"I’ll be reviewing the new SSR-grade character, Fervent Follower of the Shining Stars - Lee Jia."
The new collaboration character for *Abnormal Hunters*.
SSR-grade Awakened, Lee Jia.
The amount was too large to refuse.
Well, they say it’s darkest under the lamp, right?
If I reveal that I’m an Awakened so openly like this, maybe everyone will be fooled into thinking I’m not.