Chapter 126
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: What Happened at the Abandoned Hospital (1)
"Rules?"
Startled by the sensation of a mouse and something tapping her leg, Mika caught her breath and glanced at Maki, who had popped up in the corner of the screen.
Maki winked and began slowly explaining the rules.
"First off, as I'm sure everyone's noticed, this event will feature various prepared gimmicks that hit you directly."
Noticed? Speak for yourself—she'd already taken a konnyaku right to the face.
Mika bit back a retort.
"Whoa, that really got you good, huh? Heh heh. Horror games are just not my thing—I'd probably quit right away."
Oblivious to Mika's inner thoughts, Maki—the outsider—cackled as she teased the participants.
"Die. You damn junior."
"Please just die. You damn junior."
"Heh heh. What can you even do?"
Undeterred by the viewers' jeers, Maki stubbornly kept poking fun at the participants.
Hosts like her were all the same. The ones inside had no idea what might happen next and were dying inside, but to the audience, it was the ultimate hidden camera show.
"Anyway, in a horror game where immersion is everything, constantly putting on and taking off VR gear would be the most immersion-breaking thing ever. So from this moment on, removing your VR headsets is strictly forbidden."
"What about special circumstances?"
It wasn't a bad rule, nor one that was hard to accept. But Myth raised her hand to prepare for any unknowns.
Maki pondered Myth's question for a moment before offering a solution.
"I don't know what special circumstances there could be, but if you absolutely have to take it off, raise both hands and shout 'OO ground OO ground poof poof!' and I'll let you for a bit."
"Hmm. I definitely won't take it off."
"Aww~ Is that something you only show your boyfriend? I wanna see it too."
"Guess I need to visit Japan sometime and see your face."
"Ah, ahaha. You're not mad, right?"
"Gotta visit Japan sometime."
Myth chuckled quietly.
Good lord, this was supposed to be a horror game. Maki broke into a cold sweat and quickly moved on.
"A-anyway! Let's jump right into your current situation and the synopsis! A video's about to appear in front of you, so don't freak out. And since this is the official broadcast, even I will use polite language, so go easy on me!"
20XX, Month X, Day XX.
In the outskirts of some country, some city, there stood a massive general hospital built in a remote mountain valley.
This comprehensive hospital, made up of three enormous wings, suddenly went bankrupt one day and announced its closure.
People were stunned. A hospital that had been bustling just the other day, gone in an instant?
It was honestly hard to believe.
Unless something unspeakable had happened inside the hospital, that is. Rumors began to circulate among the people.
The hospital director went mad and killed all the nurses.
No, one nurse went insane and injected poison into all the patients, killing them.
Many rumors spread, but no one bothered to verify the truth. An abandoned hospital in the remote outskirts of the city, deep in the mountains.
Just the name alone was terrifying, wasn't it?
"Oof. Smells like a big one."
Enter one man obsessed with subscribers and views: Nutuber QWER, a total newbie with just 13 subscribers.
Whoa, Myth? Calm down a sec. I get that your boyfriend suddenly appearing has you all excited, but you're bouncing around too much. Even I'm a little startled.
Anyway, back to the prologue—
"This is my chance…!"
Still unsure of his channel's direction and dabbling in everything, he decided right then to reinvent himself as a mystery Nutuber specialist.
Grabbing a flashlight, a notebook, and a ghost frequency tracker that might or might not be useful, QWER headed to the hospital.
"Viewers, are you watching? This place is insane…! From mysterious green liquids on the floor to all sorts of stuff everywhere! This is definitely not just some abandoned joint!"
Did the heavens touch by QWER's courage? The hospital interior was a nightmare beyond imagination. Swarming rats and cobwebs everywhere—fair enough for a long-abandoned building untouched by human hands—but
"Whoa?! A body…?!"
Mysterious corpses on the floor, green liquids, droplets falling from the ceiling that hopefully weren't blood. Shattered windows everywhere, white coats—the symbol of doctors—torn haphazardly.
And syringes embedded in the walls. What kind of being could stick needles into solid concrete? One thing was certain: something unnatural had gone down here.
QWER's viewer count shot up steadily, breaking 100k live viewers almost instantly after entering the hospital.
An unprecedented surge, an unprecedented spike—he hit 100k subscribers in no time. What a dream story.
Hold up. Don't drool. It's really dripping.
You just debuted not long ago. Don't envy 100k that much. You'll get there soon. Yeah. Hey, staff? Can I get some tissues?
"Huh. This is getting kinda dangerous."
In the midst of exploring the abandoned hospital, QWER noticed something off.
The musty smell in the air—definitely not normal. The constant presence he felt—was it rats moving, or just his imagination? Or maybe someone else was in there?
Fueled by dopamine from countless viewers and the thrill of newfound attention, QWER had charged ahead recklessly. But now, fear crashed over him late.
Darkness has many faces. Cozy, terrifying, and everything in between.
For QWER right now, it wasn't cozy. The unknown ahead, the terror that one misstep could mean death—it choked him.
Good. This is enough to hit the goal, right?
If I turn back now, I'll be the success story who gained 100k subscribers in a day.
"Whew. Looks like I'll need more prep to go deeper. Guess I'll head back for now."
Nothing's more important than your life.
Satisfied with his haul of subscribers, viewers, and buzz, QWER decided to call it quits. Of course, the dopamine-hungry audience wouldn't like that.
The viewers' complaints grew louder.
They demanded more dopamine, more thrill. Some were blunt, some needled subtly, others hurled their desires straight at him.
"Ehehe, can't hear you, can't hear you."
QWER held firm. A wise choice. Who could blame someone prioritizing their life?
Who knows. Maybe a cute bunny-like girlfriend at home who terrified other VTubers awaited him.
Ah, got it. Sorry.
No one's used to seeing that kind in our industry, so I just wanna tease.
Despite the uproar, QWER decided to head home. As he packed up to leave, something grabbed his ankle.
Explore the entire 2nd floor of the abandoned hospital
🎁 Reward: 1,000,000 KRW (100,000 JPY)
Ah, cruel viewers.
QWER's resolute steps halted abruptly. In this capitalist world—especially for a young newbie broadcaster—1 million won (100k yen) was an irresistibly sweet temptation.
"O-one million?!"
To a 21-year-old, a million was impossible to refuse. Especially one scraping by, worrying over every meal. Imagine—with that money, tonight's dinner could be a full bag ramen instead of half a cup noodle.
Pardon?
Myth? Something wrong? Suddenly need to take off VR?
Huh?
Reserving a restaurant? No no. Calm down. The QWER here isn't Legend. Well, he kinda is, but he's not the type filling up on half cup noodles every night.
"Viewer 11! Thanks for the mission. I'll explore the 2nd floor clean and treat myself to a nice dinner."
"Nah. This is Korea. What's the worst that could happen?"
Ah, poor QWER—blinded by a million, laughing off the fear and unease he'd felt.
Don't mock him too harshly. Money's value is relative. To him, it was a lifeline.
Pardon? No no, Myth. Want to make a deposit? Can you take off VR?
You're loaded. Why bother? Disrupt again and it's a yellow card. Save the immersion for after.
"Huh, the 2nd floor's cleaner than I thought?"
QWER explored the 2nd floor grinning, thrilled there was nothing much. His debut stream would be flooded with memes and red superchats—a legendary day topping hundreds of thousands earned in one go.
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
"Wha—wait—why's—the—sig—nal--------------------------------------bzz----------------"
And that was his final video, his final moment.
Whoa, Myth. Heads up—he's alive. Probably watching this from home right now. Don't collapse crying?
Oh, not planning to? Sorry. Just preventive as the host.
Anyway, that wrapped up legendary QWER's debut—and final—stream.
Opinions were split.
It was all staged, a scripted video.
No, something happened to him in the hospital, and he vanished after.
Amid the debates, you all are here now to explore the abandoned hospital yourselves.
To uncover the truth? Nah, nothing that boring.
You're here to become the second QWER: rack up subscribers overnight, strike it rich. Unlike him, you'll get to go home, though.
As this video ends, you'll grab camcorders and enter the abandoned hospital.
Your goal: capture as much 'horror' as possible on camera.
Time limit: 1 hour. The VTuber with the most horrors recorded wins the jackpot dream.
If you can't take it and want to quit early, just shout 'quit quit poof poof.' You'll be eliminated immediately, but no need to push too hard.
Now, all you jackpot-chasing VTubers gathered here.
"Filming! Start!"
With those words, the six VTubers returned to the abandoned hospital.