The Protest Ignites
[This is World of Arceria, the virtual reality game released by Wearsoft back in 2044. Wearsoft has faced fierce criticism for its inadequate response to the unprecedented esports match-fixing scandal last month. And at 11 p.m. Korean time last night, another unannounced emergency maintenance hit, finally pushing users over the edge.]
Wearsoft's reckless mismanagement had pushed World of Arceria users to the brink—it took less than a day for them to decide on protests. There was already plenty of dry tinder piled up, enough to burn for days, but the parent company being a foreign corporation and the trust built from years of user-friendly policies had kept most people holding out hope. Ultimately, it was NoName who lit the fuse.
A grueling 12-hour stream. Ten of those hours dedicated to tearing into Wearsoft, igniting a fire in the hearts of World of Arceria players worldwide.
Clearing any Nightmare difficulty guaranteed you'd rank in the global top 5% of players. 3/3/3 was the gateway that aspiring top 1% Master Tier competitors had to pass. Even 5/5/5 was seen as a pilgrimage for challengers aiming for the pinnacle of World of Arceria.
So no one believed 10/10/10 could be cleared by human effort alone. Even the devs joked that anyone who beat the highest difficulty must be a god among men.
Just as there are always challengers for unsolved puzzles spanning centuries, top pros and heavenly streamers had tried their hand at it—but always ended in humiliating failure. Once they realized raw skill alone made it theoretically impossible, public interest inevitably waned. It was proof of sorts, even if disappointing.
But NoName shattered that prejudice head-on. Her approach was nothing short of revolutionary.
Clearing a Legend Quest normally granted up to three character traits. In Nightmare, they streamlined it with a Phase 2 boss fight against Nocturne Nailingk. She summoned three random bosses, and defeating them awarded traits tied to each.
Curiously, the bosses NoName felled seemed influenced by her Phase 1 run—all Knight-class specialized: Mesomia Evening's Twilight Clone, Ro Dante's Mirage Strike, and Reinhardt Schipot's Subjugating the World.
Even starting as a healer, Knight traits boosted one-on-one prowess—and survivability. But it wasn't easy; anyone could've done it if it were. The catch? All three bosses deployed unique mana-blocking fields. NoName overwhelmed them with pure swordsmanship, a feat deemed awe-inspiring.
If Phase 2 shocked a niche few, Phase 3 hit home even for casuals ignorant of swordplay or magic.
Her otherworldly play—turning impossible into possible—had skyrocketed expectations. But they crashed in the worst way possible.
With only the final boss left in the last chapter, NoName got booted from the game.
Success would've made viewers witnesses to history. Instead, the hollow frustration of it ending without a chance was indescribable.
We can't just let it end like this.
A young man's impulsive ramble sparked it all—no one saw the ripple effect coming.
Despite concerns, the hastily organized protesters ran like clockwork, drawing even foreign media attention to Korean solidarity. Two days later, parent company Intelligence Wearsoft (INCE) stock plummeted 48%, dubbed "Mephisto's Wednesday."
Something feels off.
The past week had been eerily peaceful—no events worth noting. It clashed with my increasingly tangled emotions, leaving everything feeling awkward.
At the academy, talk centered solely on the upcoming field trip briefing. Academically, there was nothing left to learn, but watching the kids' eager eyes was my one joy.
Yuna and Haru seemed closer after the pajama party—next thing I knew, she was chatting naturally in the group.
I'd sent Wearsoft a few more inquiries: radio silence. Their initial AI-generated boilerplate pissed me off more than angered me—it was absurd. Account not banned, but play data might vanish during server recovery; please understand. And they replied in English to my Korean query? Infuriating.
Weekend rolled around again. When my head's a mess, seek the familiar. I re-read journals from start to finish, spent hours verifying 80% of Alphonse's unique magic runes.
Eventually, I drew a bath. Empty the mind while soaking—might ease things.
Whoosh—
The mirror showed a disconcerting sight. So small. Like a Photoshop-scaled-down adult—everything proportional but tiny. Skin pale as marble from lack of sun, smooth and soft to the touch. That slender neck looked like it'd snap in one grip. Sharp eyes stared back, depthless. What grievance etched that scowl? Kids might find it scary.
Maybe smile more? Forced a grin—looked worse, so I stopped.
Steam rose lazily from the water. The mirror fogged over. My naked form blurred.
“Hot...!”
Dipped a toe—skin reddened instantly. Adjusted to lukewarm, sat on the tub edge scrolling my phone till it cooled.
Occasional thirsty DMs from Se-maru aside, contacts were sparse. Not everyone from academy swapped numbers, and my homebody habits made it inevitable.
Water perfect, I slipped in—and as a last resort, logged into Together community.
Sharp-eyed viewers flooded new posts immediately.
“Can't ignore this and not stream.”
00:00:01 – NoName