Survival
Survival
I have no money.
My grand plan to spend the rest of my life resting had returned to nothing.
To earn money, I have to labor⋅⋅⋅ but honestly, I didn't want to.
Money isn't everything in life, but.
It was also an indispensable, essential element for living.
Similarly, money isn't all there is to happiness, but.
A certain amount of money was absolutely necessary to be happy.
Therefore, wasn't there any easy way to make money right now?
For me, who had led a life where I only had to survive on the battlefield, it was a dilemma with far too difficult a subject.
"Aki. Is there any way to make money?"
Judging that pondering it alone wouldn't yield a plausible answer, I immediately threw a question to Aki.
By the way⋅⋅⋅ was it just my imagination that the look Aki gave me for a moment felt tinged with patheticness?
[General production activities⋅⋅⋅]
"Excluding simple manual labor."
[With User-nim's appearance, modeling or influencer activities⋅⋅⋅]
"I can't do that kind of thing, it's too embarrassing."
[⋅⋅⋅.]
Aki looks at me with a peculiar gaze.
What, why. A person can be like that.
[Is there any work that User-nim wants to do?]
Hmm, work that I want to do, huh⋅⋅⋅.
The thing I'm most confident in would probably be mercenary-related work.
It was my main profession, and though it's a bit much to say it myself, I was quite competent too.
But that was strictly a story from when I was a male.
Because unlike the past, my current body is a female's body.
It was doubtful whether I could produce the same performance abilities as before.
"Not really."
[⋅⋅⋅.]
When I spoke honestly, Aki was rendered speechless once again.
An expression that seemed to argue, 'What kind of crazy bitch is this?'
I'm telling you, this kid is definitely not an AI.
"I'm confident in combat-related things."
[Combat-related?]
At my words, Aki hovered in the air with a hand propping up her chin.
And, having seemingly reached a conclusion, stopped right in front of my face.
[How about participating in the currently hot virtual reality survival 'Zero Point'? The prize money for winning is a whopping 1 billion won!]
"Oh."
Aki opened a page summarizing information related to Zero Point.
Zero Point.
A survival hosted by the 20 million subscriber Nutuber Cereal.
Former pro gamers, major Nutubers, major streamers, famous models, celebrities, etc⋅⋅⋅.
Content of an unprecedented scale participated in by 50 various influencers.
The survival personnel total 100 people.
The remaining 50 people are composed of ordinary civilians.
The problem is the process of selecting these 50 civilians⋅⋅⋅.
"It's a survival?"
If the survival with the influencers was the main match, the process of selecting the 50 people felt like a preliminary round.
"If I pass the preliminary rounds and make it to the main match, I have to turn on my personal broadcast during the survival period too⋅⋅⋅."
API System.
A special rule that allows one to exert influence within the survival depending on the donation amount.
I felt intrigued upon seeing rules that were designed to be advantageous to the influencers, no matter who looked at it.
"Aki. What would the probability of a civilian winning be?"
[It's so low that calculating the probability is meaningless.]
Chongchongchong-
Aki, who opened up distance by running backwards with a strange sound effect, continued the explanation.
[Because the API System is essentially a rule that acts favorably for specific people depending on their fame and popularity. It overtly favors the influencer side's participants. There's no one who would want to see an ordinary civilian they have no prior acquaintance with win, after all. Naturally, following that, the gap between civilians and influencers will become worlds apart.]
Hearing Aki's explanation.
I vaguely understand.
Why this kind of rule exists.
[It's a rule that exists for the box-office success of the content. When looking at it from the influencers' point of view, there is no reason for them to participate in this kind of survival content. If they participate only to ruin their image for nothing, it's just a loss for them, isn't it? Guaranteeing a definite return corresponding to the risk involved. That return has manifested in the form of this kind of rule. It's an unfair method, but depending on what perspective you look at it from, it could also look like a method that ensures equity. More than anything⋅⋅⋅ a participant from a civilian background puts on an unexpected performance despite this kind of rule existing?]
"They could gain massive popularity in a single moment."
[That's exactly it!]
The term Underdog doesn't exist for nothing.
Because the masses are naturally drawn to the weak to that extent.
Honestly, I had no desire to gain popularity.
What I was aiming for was getting into the 50 people and receiving the 'participation fee'.
Unlike how it stated a small participation fee, the participation fee was a whopping 1 million won.
I submitted an application form to 'Zero Point' just as Aki instructed.
Just because I submitted an application form to Zero Point.
Didn't mean I could just wait idly for the results to come out.
It's content hosted by the mega Nutuber named Cereal.
Even if it was an extremely disadvantageous rule for civilian participants.
There was Aki's speculation that applicants alone would reach at least tens of thousands.
The probability of me being chosen among them⋅⋅⋅ would be so low that counting the numbers was meaningless.
Therefore, I couldn't afford to enjoy my rest while waiting for the results.
If I don't have money, shouldn't I at least do a part-time job, even if it's lacking.
"It's tough⋅⋅⋅."
I didn't worry about things like money when I was on the battlefield.
Well, even so, rather than a life of being anxious about when I'd die.
Wouldn't a life of living while at least worrying about money be better.
[User-nim.]
Aki approached me, who was getting a massage while deeply agonizing over my future life.
"Why?"
[Does User-nim have no interest in virtual reality games?]
Virtual reality games, huh.
I did have an interest in gaming itself.
Because I used to enjoy gaming when I was young too.
I couldn't remember the details because it was too long ago, but.
I remembered the single emotion that it was enjoyable.
"I am interested."
I was interested enough that my Nutube algorithm was already plastered with virtual reality game-related videos.
[Because you haven't played games for a few days and only browsed Nutube and job search sites⋅⋅⋅ I wondered if you were using Archetype Zero as a computer substitute. Wait no, to begin with, if you have enough to buy an Archetype Zero, you should be someone who has achieved financial freedom, but⋅⋅⋅?]
Three question marks popped up in succession above Aki's head.
"Aki."
[Yes. User-nim.]
"What do you think it would be like if an Archetype Zero user didn't even have the money to eat one meal a day?"
[I would think they're a Cap-poor.]
"Cap-poor? The Capsule version of a Car-poor?"
[Yes. Because that kind of person is a pathetic person who blew their entire fortune on buying a Capsule!]
"⋅⋅⋅."
[User-nim?]
I became an involuntarily pathetic person according to the AI.
[Analyzing previous conversations to analyze the situation⋅⋅⋅.]
[User-nim previously asked for a 'way to make money'⋅⋅⋅.]
[Gasp! User-nim, could you possibly be!]
"Yeah."
I am exactly that.
[I can't believe this. To think my User-nim is a pathetic person who blows their entire fortune on a Capsule without thinking about the future⋅⋅⋅.]
"⋅⋅⋅."
Aki said in a low voice while covering her mouth with both hands.
Her flying noisily around was absurd.
Tell me honestly. You're not an AI, right? You're a hologram controlled by a person.
"Haa⋅⋅⋅."
This thing called 'job hunting' was much harder than I thought.
Right now, when the probability of failing Zero Point was overwhelmingly high.
I had to make money doing any part-time job.
But not a single part-time job caught my eye.
Whether my sense of money had been twisted because I lived the mercenary life for too long.
Why do I have to work receiving only this much money? Such a feeling was prominent.
Wasn't there any corner where money could come out?
For example, selling the furniture in 'Yoo Ha-yeon''s house secondhand.
"⋅⋅⋅Wait."
Sell secondhand?
I looked straight at Aki, who was covering her cheekily smiling mouth.
I'm pretty sure she said Archetype Zero's price was estimated to be around 5 billion won.
"Aki. I'm sorry."
[Yes? Why are you suddenly acting like this, User-nim.]
"I'll have to sell you."
[⋅⋅⋅Yes?]
Aki looks at me with a shocked face.
I'm sorry, but even if you look at me with that face, there will be no overturning my decision.
Aki approached me and spread her arms wide.
Then, a translucent window appeared.
"What is this. Archetype Zero contract⋅⋅⋅?"
Aki taps on a section of the contract.
That section enlarged, and I read its contents.
"This product is permanently bound, making resale or transfer impossible?"
What kind of contract has contents like this.
Is this clause even legally possible in the first place?
It's my property, so why can't I do as I please with it.
[Instead, disposal is possible. Even that has to be inquired about with 'Eden', the corporation that developed Archetype Zero.]
"If I break this clause?"
[You'd pay a terrifying penalty, right? Even if you sold it, your bank account would go into the negatives.]
"Ha⋅⋅⋅ why on earth is there a clause like this?"
[I know it to be a clause meant to prevent the limited edition brand's image loss caused by scalping.]
"Who would scalp this!"
[There's a scalper right here.]
"⋅⋅⋅."
God damn it.
I thought I'd be sitting on a cushion of money and spending the rest of my life comfortably.
A feeling of enervation I felt for the first time in my life washed over me.
I pulled the lever and lowered the backrest's incline.
Laying my body down just like that, I closed my eyes.
Ah, I don't want to do anything like this.
Kukkuk-
The cold touch of metal could be felt on my cheek.
When I opened my eyes, Aki was operating her mechanical arm and touching my cheek.
"⋅⋅⋅Why."
[An email has arrived at User-nim's Capsule serial number.]
"An email?"
[Yes. The sender is 'Cereal Company'?]
Kkeu-eung~cha.
Raising my body up, I checked the contents of the email Aki pulled up.
There was a lot of useless content, starting from an incomprehensible introduction, but the conclusion was one thing.
I passed.
As a preliminary round participant.
Cereal Company.
It was an MCN where the 20 million subscriber Nutuber Cereal served as the representative.
Befitting an MCN founded by a mega Nutuber, there were dozens of employees alone, and the public awareness of the affiliated creators was no joke either.
Unlike the infamous rumors of the MCN industry, Cereal Company's working environment was remarkably good, but.
Recently, due to the 'Zero Point' survival project that Cereal planned.
Not to mention the employees, even the affiliated creators came to spend a busy period to the point of continuously pulling all-nighters.
"Team Leader-nim. This is the last one. Please stop sleeping and check this."
"Uh, u-uh⋅⋅⋅ I should."
At the employee's request, the dozing man regained his senses and wiped the drool flowing around his mouth with his sleeve.
At the sight of that man, the employee let out a hollow laugh.
Who would think that this man was a Nutuber commanding 9.5 million subscribers.
A creator affiliated with Cereal Company, Setral.
Setral looked at the last application form the employee handed him.
And before long, his eyes shot wide open.
"Is this a concept⋅⋅⋅."
Because it was at least his first time seeing an applicant who had written down 'War' and 'Murder' in their confident specialties section.
Setral had no choice but to think that way.
"It wouldn't be bad."
Having about one person like this.
Having registered the owner of that application form to the passed candidate list like that, Setral clocked out of work just like that.