82 - Hot Potato
“We have to talk about this! It's the hottest topic buzzing in communities lately—straight to it, World of Arceria!”
“Sudden content? But isn't World of Arceria just a game?”
“Exactly! It's the globally famous game that's claimed second place in Korean PC bang market share.”
“Finally, some healing through gaming...!”
But Woo Da-yeon couldn't hide her anxiety even in front of the camera. It had already been three months since she'd joined Higgs Studio on the recommendation of her Physics and Astronomy Department classmate, Ji Seong-hun. As part of Korea's top MCN, Letterbox, she handled physics content as a PD for their VTube channel with 1.45 million subscribers, popular for science and magic topics.
Last month's theme—“Can Humans Cross a River Using the Principles of Stone Skipping?”—had been a nightmare for Da-yeon. Terrified of even roller coasters, she'd forcibly overcome all her gravity-related phobias thanks to the g-test training for gravitational acceleration resistance.
“It's just playing a game, right...?”
“Why don't you trust me? Wasn't the stone skipping kinda fun last time?”
“I nearly died of fright!”
“Anyway! Since you've been through so much, Da-yeon, I prepared something you'll like this time.”
“I can already tell something's off.”
While pondering the next content, Seong-hun suddenly shoved the camera in her face for a VTube angle. She almost panicked but played along naturally—failing to improvise here wouldn't be professional.
“Have you played this game before?”
“No, just caught the Shorts popping up on VTube occasionally.”
“Then let's watch the viral video first.”
The studio lights dimmed as the beam projector flickered on. Da-yeon gnawed her nails. Seong-hun's sly grin was the most unsettling sight in the world. Korea University's top Physics and Astronomy student—and double-major in Theoretical Magic—he was a freakish genius, but also a massive weirdo. His wild ideas had boosted her rep at Higgs Studio, though the process was never smooth. She'd half-seriously contemplated drowning in the Han River more than once.
The screen lit up with a glamorous golden-haired woman in a lush forest under a full moon. She snatched the sword from a charging knight. Then a dozen more knights surrounded her. But she faced them with confident eyes, ready for battle.
Whoa... insane...
With dazzling moves, she dismantled the knights one by one, casually weaving in magic. She altered the trajectory of stabbing swords from blind spots and even handled triple joint casting magic circles effortlessly.
The scene cut to an antique study. An NPC screamed and slammed into the ceiling, signaling combat start. In a space impossible to replicate in reality, the woman dodged nimbly. Da-yeon was especially awed by the final blow on the boss.
Quadruple joint magic circle? Or quintuple...?
Before the video ended, Da-yeon whispered to Seong-hun.
“Does this game have magic assist features?”
“None, except scrolls.”
“That's crazy.”
The video closed with a sharply dressed gentleman collapsing in a heap. Blinking in the brightening room, Da-yeon rubbed her eyes. Seong-hun signaled the camera was rolling and asked for her thoughts.
“Never imagined World of Arceria was like this. Now I really want to try it.”
The character perfectly matched her tastes. A damsel straight out of an action flick turning the tables into a massacre?
“But we won't get many chances to play ourselves! This content's more about analysis than hands-on.”
“Analysis?”
“What you just saw was gameplay from a streamer named NoName.”
“That was real footage? Not some teaser or edit?”
Even for a high-freedom VR game with assists, it was unreal—way beyond specs. Why waste that talent streaming? With those reflexes, Olympic training at Jincheon was a no-brainer. Even if her real body lagged, her casting speed screamed future magic prodigy.
“So here's the plan! We'll analyze the magic NoName used. We'll be watching her videos obsessively from today onward, you and me.”
“How much is there? I can tell just from the length. And I'm no expert on magic circles like you...!”
“It's only the first run of three, picked for you—so no more whining. And pure analysis would be boring, right?”
“What scheme are you cooking up now...!”
“Let's calculate how much it'd cost to cast that magic in real life. Fighting!”
Before she could retort, Seong-hun hit stop. Da-yeon pounced.
“We're really doing this? Delete the footage now and switch topics?”
“Why? It looks fun! Didn't you see that play? One video's already at a million views! Our analysis will hit two million easy.”
“Then why hasn't anyone else done it?”
Guaranteed views? Others wouldn't pass.
“Good question. First, NoName's spells are too advanced for 1st Circle magic.”
“1st Circle? All that was 1st Circle?”
Da-yeon felt uneasy already. 1st Circle was basic stuff everyone mastered by middle or high school. Complex circles that hurt to look at—all 1st Circle? Felt as plausible as solving KGSAT math with basic arithmetic.
Magic expansion was expert territory. Even Seong-hun was overreaching.
“Plus, too much content for one person to analyze solo.”
“Yeah. Over a hundred unique spells.”
“Exactly, barely any duplicates. It's not a 'hot issue'—it's a hot potato. Everyone knows they should, but no one dares. Jackpot if you can handle the heat!”
Da-yeon glanced back at the VTube video. Views climbing in real-time. As an American game, foreign comments flooded in—prime chance for Higgs to snag international subs if done right.
“Got a plan? I'm stumped. You have a feel?”
“Nope, zero.”
“Then what?!”
“If brains fail, use legs. We've got connections and creds, right?”
His strategy: Rope in idle grad students and Korea University magic profs to dissect the circles. Free food's the best, he said, already texting contacts. Da-yeon had a bad feeling this content wouldn't go smoothly.
0:00:01 – NoName
Just Chatting – Please set a title.
Broadcast Time - 0:00:02
Viewers – 4
Broadcast Time - 0:01:24
Viewers – 439
Broadcast Time - 0:03:08
Viewers – 1092
The chat was pure chaos. NoName's recent moves had been prime bait in the WoA community, but the ACK pro gamer match-fixing confession buried it overnight. Still, stars rise eventually. Her snippet plays spread via VTube, building underground hype. Two days ago, Korea's top science channels—Higgs Studio and Dobi Science—dropped NoName analysis videos simultaneously, igniting the fuse. They broke down her feats accessibly, reaching even non-gamers. Even broadcasters had slyly commented interest in interviews on private forums.
NoName's irregular schedule left subs fuming on entry, cooling off to her soothing voice as ritual. Newbies, though, freaked at minutes of silence. Veteran reassurances drowned in the text torrent.
If NoName wants to eat on stream days, super lololol
The first donation hit soon—a plea to lead the homeless refugees. Anything worked: Redo WoA's top difficulty no one cleared, or Challenger in long-neglected Legacy of Legend. Spiteful jabs at her whims fueled chat spam.
Viewers ghosted NoName amid the torrent, pinpointing her silent drift.