First Live

"I had a feeling it might turn out like this, but now that I'm actually facing it… why does this feel so real?"

"Haha."

A few minutes before the stream starts. With the two Icarus PR team employees on either side of me, I'm practicing the various gestures we'd prepared in advance.

Playing the video clips and images at the right moments is their job, but I still need to know roughly when to chime in so the audio doesn't stutter.

Anyway, while we were doing that, one of them spoke up from beside me, sounding a bit incredulous.

It was something I hadn't really thought much about, but it seemed to strike them as pretty absurd. They'd asked the same thing when I first contacted them, like, "What are you talking about?"

Still, after today, I don't think there'll be any major problems.

Right on cue, a message pops up in front of my eyes.

I send a short message back, then check the countdown appearing before my eyes.

The timer, which had been in minutes, has ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now shifted to seconds. As the numbers start ticking down from 60, the viewer count waiting for the stream begins to appear.

A whopping 12,000 people are waiting for me to start my broadcast.

But the two beside me don't seem particularly fazed.

"When an esports event is held, it's not uncommon for the concurrent viewer count to reach millions, or even exceed ten million. And some of the streamers we manage average tens of thousands of viewers."

"That's a lot of people."

"Well, the game is what it is."

With about 40 seconds left, we exchange this kind of casual small talk.

"Speaking of esports, Eugene, have you given it any thought?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't really looked into it yet, so I don't even know what I should be doing."

"Hmm… a battle royale or survival mode would be possible. Those allow solo participation. But you'd need to hit a certain rank, so if you want to participate, you'd have to grind ranked matches diligently."

"I'll think about it."

Ten seconds left.

Honestly, I still don't know. Why am I even playing this game? I'm just moving forward toward some abstract goal, with no real promise of anything.

I brushed it off in front of the two of them, but to be honest, I'm not even sure I can do something like being a pro gamer or a streamer. At this point… I'm still skeptical about this game.

I can't help but feel a sense of resistance knowing that my past, the things that happened in another world, have become a popular game.

But with each step forward, new possibilities keep emerging, reacting to the ripples my footsteps create.

Nothing will happen if I do nothing, but if I at least do something… among those countless possibilities, one path I can choose will open up.

I just do what I can. Always have.

And then….

Here we go.

The first few seconds of fate pass, and the once-empty chat window is flooded with so many messages it's impossible to read them all individually.

The content was incredibly varied. People asking if I was the real Eugene, people who were thrilled to be part of this historic first stream… though overall, there were a lot of rather colorful expressions. I'll have to ask Harmony later how to handle that part.

I check the camera feed on one side to make sure the focus, zoom, and position aren't off, then casually test my voice.

"Ah, ah. Impression check… ah, that's not it. Mic check. One, two, three. Can you hear me alright?"

…What was I thinking when I said "impression check"?

Lee Jin-chul, who must have served in the military, was making a face next to me like that one entertainer who tasted fish-head curry… and surprisingly, Han Seol-ah, who probably had nothing to do with that kind of thing, was also making a weird expression.

Maybe it's because they're both Dark Zone players.

Anyway, this is my first stream. I need to fill the air, but I don't have any prepared lines. I wonder if it's okay to just say whatever comes to mind.

Maybe because of that unintentional slip-up at the beginning, the chat room atmosphere seemed pretty decent… so I guess it's more natural to just talk without putting too much pressure on myself.

I start.

"I put it in the stream title, but the reason I'm broadcasting today is to let everyone know that I am not using hacks."

I flick my finger to open a window, just as we practiced.

An official notice from Icarus International, the same one I'd shown Harmony before. I don't need to explain what it says; it's just full of content confirming that I haven't used any illegal programs.

"I looked around online, and it seems like there isn't a standard way to do this kind of clarification… so I've brought as much evidence and as many witnesses as I could. I hope it's enough."

These were more or less the reactions I'd expected.

And similarly, they were reactions I could sympathize with. I wonder if I really need to go this far, but there are definitely things that won't be resolved unless you do.

Since the chat's reaction was favorable, I didn't need to give any additional explanation about the notice. It seemed better for the atmosphere to just touch on the key points and wrap up the clarification quickly.

I quietly pop up the two people who were still on standby and add,

"The full text of the notice will be uploaded to my newly created channel site after the stream ends. If anyone wants to see it, I'd appreciate it if you'd check it out there later. And next, I've brought two employees who actually work at Icarus Korea as witnesses."

Deciding that was enough of an introduction, I continued.

"They're the ones who oversaw the physical examination and tests when I visited the Icarus office, the ones who watched me take the tests from start to finish."

"Hello. You can call me Deputy Manager Lee from the PR team."

"Hi, I'm Employee Han from the PR team."

At the same time, black text — their nicknames — appears above their heads. Next to them floats the phoenix emblem, the symbol of Icarus.

A mark given only to company employees. It's something that would look familiar to any Dark Zone player, or anyone who's watched esports at least once.

The lead in the conversation shifts to them.

Footage from the physical examination, fitness test, and tactical action test is displayed.

"For the user's privacy, we've edited the footage by overlaying an avatar on top of the actual body."

The video fills the screen.

I see familiar facilities. I've been here twice now, so it's starting to feel quite cozy. In the middle of it all, I can see myself, busily moving through the facilities.

…They said they overlaid an avatar, but… I don't know if you can really call this "overlaid." It looks like they just used the original footage, only slightly polygonized.

Well, they didn't lie. It's not entirely wrong to say it was replaced with an avatar.

In the midst of it all, I can see myself doing strength training. It was a much lighter workout than usual, but I can't say it wasn't intense enough to make people's jaws drop.

At some point, over 30,000 viewers are all in chaos, spamming question marks. It's a rather amusing sight.

The overall percentage keeps rising as each test is completed. The video only ends after I've finished every single detail, down to things that make you wonder if you really had to go that far.

"With this, we at Icarus International have not detected any use of illegal programs, and we officially recognize that this user is not a hacker."

"More detailed results and other content not covered in this video can be found on the Dark Zone website's video tab, so anyone interested can check there."

"We'll finish the clarification with a brief Q&A, so if anyone has questions, please ask."

With that, the speed of messages ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scrolling through the chat finally skyrockets to a pace my own eyesight can't even track.

Only after the management bot applies a rate limit and prioritizes the questions with the most recommendations does the chaos subside.

Most of the chat that wasn't questions was nearly identical in content — to put it simply, it was basically "I knew it."

The tiny handful of people who couldn't grasp the situation or still insisted it wasn't properly explained were hit with a massive number of kick votes and removed, so the chat became completely clean.

I hear the sound of a microphone being adjusted.

With the audio switched from public broadcast to local transmission, the two people sitting on either side of me speak up.

"I almost laughed when I said we 'overlaid an avatar.' I mean, I guess it is technically overlaid…"

"It's not entirely wrong, is it?"

"Haha. Anyway, you can answer the questions however you like, Eugene. It might be a good idea to decide in advance which parts you won't answer."

I give a small nod and scan the countless questions piling up.

From what I can see… naturally, there are a lot of questions about personal matters. Though the intensity isn't that high, they're mostly things like "What did you do before?"

'There's no way I can answer those…'

My military service and past service records were completely wiped out when I crossed over to this world, so mentioning any affiliation here would cause a huge mess.

Specifically, things like misrepresenting my career background. The aftermath would be incomparable to the hacking accusations. Especially since I don't even know what my past in this place is.

At least, that was the surface-level reason… but honestly, I also just didn't want to talk about it.

So….

"Unfortunately, I cannot answer questions about what I did in society. I ask for your understanding on this matter."

In the next instant, all questions related to that are scattered like bubbles.

There were only a few questions left in an instant, but as the saying goes, if there are no questions, people will make them up. Like loading ammunition, new questions surge up from below.

I start processing them one by one, starting from the top.

"Hmm, I was only planning to do the clarification stream today, so even if I do play Dark Zone, I'm not sure what I should show you all. I might not play at all."

That's harsh.

It's all the same game. What's so special about me playing it? There must be thousands of people streaming Dark Zone, so what's so entertaining about watching me?

I'll have to think about this more.

Next question.

"It's my name. Lee Eugene. Looking at it now, it feels like I didn't put much thought into it."

I never imagined so many people would be this curious about who I am. Just from revealing my name, people are already flooding in with guesses about my gender. I wonder if I really need to answer that part.

My joking brain immediately suggests an answer: let them figure out the gender themselves.

I decide to go with that.

"…Yes. Thank you for coming. It doesn't feel real yet. Maybe it's because I'm not sure if I'll continue streaming or not."

Unfazed, slowly.

With every word I say, the chat writhes and squirms like a living creature. I'd say it feels more fascinating than fun.

And so, one by one. Like I'm clearing out overdue homework.

"I exercise. I study too. I live a pretty ordinary life."

"I'm not sure. I haven't actually measured it… but for now, I'd appreciate it if you could make a reasonable guess based on the footage from earlier. It's a question related to a rather sensitive topic."

"I'd planted a remotely detonable seeker mine in the sniper's backpack beforehand and distributed the detonators. But the Hunter's EMP fried mine, and Harmony barely managed to activate hers."

I'd been suspicious of that guy for a while, so I was planning to deal with him the moment I got a chance, but the Hunter's EMP really threw a wrench in the works.

If it weren't for that, I'd have blown the seeker mine immediately, and the Hunter that appeared nearby would have taken him out cleanly.

I just reminded myself once again that things never go according to plan.

Anyway, after finishing up the remaining questions neatly, I felt like it would be a waste to just dump the 30,000 viewers, so I thought I might as well turn on Dark Zone and do something.

This might be good news for them.

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the two PR employees made a clean exit, I spoke quietly.

"Well, it would be a shame to end it like this, so I'll play a bit of the game and then log off. Today's game is Dark Zone, and I'll try to push the main mission…."

I thought for a moment, then added a line that might become the stance of my future broadcasts.

It was full of my personal preference: I don't block those who come, and I don't stop those who go.

"If you want to watch, I'd appreciate it if you did."

And so, my first broadcast,

Began.