Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Myth's Solo Live (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After parting ways with Myth like that, I dove straight into map production the very next day.
I'd originally planned to handle it solo like always and just get confirmations as needed, but an unexpected suggestion came in.
- Sua: QWER-nim! Let's work on it together!
Since we'd exchanged contacts that day, I was startled when a message popped up at 9 a.m. the next morning.
And understandably so—aside from my parents and Myth, this was the first message I'd gotten from anyone since waking up.
Staring at it, I felt a pang of sadness about my social life and shed a quiet tear before replying.
- Legend: Together? Oh, and feel free to call me by name.
- Sua: Sure thing, Legend-nim! Not that I doubt your skills, but during map production, we'll need constant confirmations.
- Sua: At your speed, things might wrap up so fast that if we confirm once and then get feedback on specific parts, we might have to redo everything. That'd be super inefficient, right?
- Sua: So I'll watch your work in real-time and give instant feedback. Doesn't that sound more efficient?
- Sua: Of course, feel free to ask me anything you're curious about or unsure on too.
It was a pretty reasonable explanation.
Working with someone was a first for me, but it actually sounded kinda fun.
- Sua: And I can handle parts you don't need to bother with. Or Legend-nim, were you planning to tweak effects too?
- Legend: Effects, besides the map?
- Sua: Yeah, our concept this time is a concert hall. But if we're just making a plain one, there's no point in 3D. So we're adding all sorts of gimmicks to the map—thought you might help with those.
- Legend: What kind of effects exactly?
- Sua: Hang on. Sending you some example video links.
I checked out the videos Sua sent.
They were mostly solo live performances from DreamLive, our neighbor platform.
'Damn, that's cool.'
I let out my honest reaction.
Maybe because it wasn't real life, the dazzling barrage of effects perfectly suited to avatars left me in awe.
- Legend: Looks good. No, amazing.
- Sua: Right? Let's give it our all to top DreamLive.
Was Sua seeing DreamLive as a rival?
From what I'd heard, Myth was fluent in Japanese and collabed with them plenty.
- Sua: Myth-nim and the DreamLive folks get along great, but the fans down the line? Not so much.
Ah, got it.
That made sense.
I remembered wandering communities not long after waking up—Myth fans and DreamLive fans were always at each other's throats.
But if the streamers got along, why let fans fight like that?
It'd just make things awkward for the talents if tensions escalated.
- Legend: But if fans fight, doesn't that put the streamers in a tough spot?
- Sua: It's overseas stuff, and it stays at WWE levels, so no big issues. If it gets too heated, the fandoms purge the extremists themselves.
WWE? Like wrestling?
I wanted to ask but held back and quietly googled it.
Oh ho.
Apparently, fake fights were WWE now, and real bloodbaths were UFC.
Old terms, but they'd blown up as internet memes lately.
While I was sidetracked, Sua messaged again.
- Sua: But texting like this is getting cumbersome—wanna hop on a call?
- Legend: Yeah, sure.
Yeah, we'd be working together at least a few days—texting nonstop wasn't practical.
Regardless of anything, it was just inefficient.
- Sua: Here's my Xcode ID. One sec!
- Sua: SUA # XXXX << Add me as a friend here?
- Legend: Got it.
I vaguely remembered using Zoom or similar apps for this stuff back in the day, but companies used Xcode for meetings now?
Whatever, I wasn't up on details, so I sent Sua a friend request on Xcode.
Moments later, a ding—notified me of a new friend: SUA # XXXX.
Her profile glittered with flashy effects—huh, they had that now?
Come to think of it, Myth's profile had exploding hearts or something too.
- Sua: Mind if I call?
- Legend: Hold up. Not wearing my headset. I'll put it on and call you.
- Sua: Okay!
I grabbed my headset and powered it up.
Now that I thought about it, this was my first time wearing one since I was always alone in my room.
Panicked at first over no cord, but nope—wireless.
Tsk.
Lately, I felt like some old geezer who couldn't keep up with tech.
Three massive, high-res monitors crowding my desk, wireless mouse, wireless headset, wireless keyboard...
A setup I couldn't have dreamed of months ago had me clicking my tongue in amazement.
- Ring ring ring ring
- Click.
- Um, testing... Legend-nim, can you hear me?
"Yeah, loud and clear, Sua."
Her crisp voice flowed through the headset straight to my ears.
I nodded, moused over, and opened the tools I'd gotten yesterday.
Silently thanking the boss—who'd asked if it was okay before generously handing them over—I eyed the half-finished map from last night.
- Legend-nim, can you screen share?
"Screen share?"
- Oh, you don't know how? Here's how—
Tsk. I'd used Xcode since I was a kid, but never screen shared, so no clue.
Following Sua's guide, I fired it up.
- Wow, even seeing it again, this quality is insane.
"That good?"
- Totally. A team of three or four vet modelers would've taken days for this at normal pace. You whipped it up in an hour on the spot? You're a monster. I vouch for it.
"Haha..."
Calling someone a monster felt iffy, but hey, praise is praise—I accepted it gratefully.
- Not that it's perfect, of course.
"Something off?"
- Not 'wrong' per se—more like some wording's too strong or overdone... Hang on. I prepped notes yesterday, so I'll send the file instead of typing it out.
Ding.
Sua sent a memo notepad with simple fixes listed.
Like: Matte the rebar structures backstage—they're too glossy and reflect light harshly.
Don't over-resource unnecessary bits.
This part: shorter, longer, bigger, smaller, etc.
A mountain of minor tweaks.
"Ugh... so much to do."
- Quality aside, we gotta cover the basics. Maps aren't about standout objects—it's harmony. Your skills can poison some spots if overapplied.
"Makes sense. Lots to learn."
- Alright, let's start. Fix what I sent first—I'll pick next tweaks as we go. I'll handle anything you don't need to touch.
"Sounds good. Ready?"
- Yep. Let's go!
Building a map with someone was new, but collaborating wasn't.
It reminded me of brainstorming avatar concepts with Myth, so I dove in excitedly.
Exactly two hours later, we worked nonstop till lunchtime.
We'd loosened up enough to drop formal speech.
- Haaah. Your speed's killing me, Legend-nim...
"Haha, sorry."
- Nah, I'm the slow one. Lunch, then back at it?
"Yeah, sounds good."
- Ding-dong.
I ended the Xcode call for a bit.
Stretching at the 25%-done map, my back twinged slightly from two hours glued to the chair.
Maybe upgrade the seat.
Thinking that, I stood.
"Myth's stream should be wrapping up around now—"
Thud.
Door barely open, something smacked my chest before I could step out.
Huh, weird.
No furniture out here.
I looked down to ID the mystery object.
"Uh."
There was an abyss staring back.
Completely lifeless eyes, voids swallowing all light, peered up at me with abyssal depths.
I froze for a split second, but cherry-strawberry scent wafting up stopped me cold.
"M-Myth?"
Myth was plastered right against my door.
I stammered at her in panic, but she gazed back with dead eyes and an upturned smirk—a creepy expression.
Hmm. Even this looked pretty on her? Guess I'm in deep too.
"Sounded like you were on a call in your room."
"Uh, wha?"
"Caught a girl's voice faintly through your headset."
"Th-that was—"
"'Yeah, sounds good'? What exactly sounds good?"
Oh crap, she caught that part.
A little earlier, and she'd have known I was working.
Myth asked me.
"Who were you on the phone with?"
Her upturned eyes now flickered with hellfire between them.