It Really Isn't as Easy as I Thought
Viewer after viewer kept reminding me of the things I'd said, and they were teasing me for sounding so adorable again.
But since it all came from love, I decided to steel myself and not blush.
So even though my face felt warm, I put my hands back on the keyboard and mouse.
"Hmm. Anyway, if someone dies, we should analyze why they died. Games are like this. You die and come back to life, and if you fail, you can try again. Success is visible and satisfying."
- Tti-hwak-jjit: Really, unless you're some ultra-gold spoon type, most people who fail at trying something in real life just quit their lives...
- Inbangbomdaehwabom: Yeah, even if you go to a good university and make a lot of money, that's not a successful life... Just do what makes you happy.
- Dangcarsoap: Yeah, but when gold spoon heirs give lectures saying don't fear failure and just challenge yourself, it's too irresponsible.
- GFE2047: Deception, pure deception.
- Deafening: Even if you fail at studies and getting a job, as long as your parents are still alive you can start over, but not starting a business.
- Inbangbomdaehwabom: Ah, I see... Having parents is like a safety net, but if you don't even have that, it's truly a one-chance life...
I hadn't meant to talk about that kind of thing.
Somehow my words had turned into the spark that made people complain about reality.
Honestly, I had turned into a woman and failed at everything right away, but I didn't want the viewers to see those disappointed faces no matter what.
"Anyway, let's all keep trying hard. I was in a really bad spot too, you know? But as I kept living, thanks to you guys, I got days when I could smile. The world is full of unfair and unreasonable things, but if I just die, only I lose. I hope everyone gets to be happy."
With no real audience to speak to, I still cheered them on.
Once I finished speaking, my face got even hotter than when I was being teased, so I subtly shifted my gaze to the game screen.
But the chat window was on the right, so maybe that was why.
Every time something new popped up, my eyes were drawn to it automatically.
Noel in front of us is talking about what we're saying.
Even though you're not good at games, you should live your life hard too.
She's good at games, and she even got a pro gamer offer.
A normal person with two hands and two feet is better than a pro gamer? What are you talking about?
Seeing comments like that, I felt a mix of embarrassment and pride.
Yeah, let's all live hard and be happy together.
"Anyway, games need feedback. I died a few times earlier. I think it was room 708 and 705. Hold on, the map layout doesn't make sense."
My death reasons, anyway, that monster had chased me.
There was no way to defeat or drive away that monster.
I had an item or skill? No, there wasn't.
In a straight-line map, when the monster appeared, all I could do was run.
Even then, the speed difference meant I got caught and died last time.
So how do I avoid dying like that?
First, I need to make sure the monster doesn't appear.
How?
"Hmm, look. Room 808 is matched with 803. So room 708 should be with 703. But it was 705, so the monster came out? If something doesn't follow the rules, that's the monster?"
I didn't usually say things like that out loud, but since it was a stream, I deliberately spoke my deductions aloud.
Viewers cheered along, some really enthusiastic.
Not just casual cheers.
It was like "Sherlock Holmes is in my head!" or "Agatha Christie!" level excitement.
That kind of support made me a little embarrassed, but it felt okay in this situation.
"Right, Watson. Thanks to me, my deduction got even more perfect. So if you don't notice those oddities and keep going, you'll get eaten by the monsters and have to run to the stairs. If there are no oddities, you just go forward and down the stairs."
- Tti-hwak-jzit: Correct.
- ToToDo: Actually, it's in the game intro lol
"Oh, there was that? I just bought it and downloaded and was chatting with you guys, so I missed it."
But that kind of deduction would be useless.
Even if Sherlock Holmes deduces the password, it doesn't matter.
Watson already knew the door was open, so he opened it first.
No, it wasn't completely useless.
Thanks to my deduction, the viewers had at least felt a little fun.
That was enough.
"Anyway, now that I know why I died, I should just move to the next floor... Wait, what? Why am I dying again?"
After the feedback, it was time to move forward.
So how much had I advanced with character manipulation?
Suddenly the whole screen turned red, and with a thud, the screen went black.
Then it returned to the very first screen.
"Ah, I guess even the 8th floor isn't safe. So the first corridor is the default, and you can only advance if nothing changes from there?"
- Tti-hwak-jzit: Spot on.
- Showdown: Did No-rim really remember that?
- Silverpantea: Haha, unless you have perfect memory it's impossible, but the room boss has a good head, so maybe he can do it.
"No, I remember big details but not the tiny ones. Ah, if I knew this, I would have paid more attention to the first corridor. Hah."
Once I realized all of this, everything started feeling suspicious.
On the table at the starting point, there were three pink flowers.
Was the color supposed to be pink?
There were three flowers?
Every room had round door handles.
Should it have been round handles? Not the horizontal ones that are harder to grip and turn?
The lights above the doors in front of the rooms, were they supposed to be on the right side?
Things like that.
When that suspicion hit me, I stared at the objects I had casually passed by earlier for a long time.
Watching me, the viewers were enjoying it even more.
They had probably expected me to react like this while playing the game.
If that's the case, at least I had achieved my goal.
But at this point, it was obvious I was getting frustrated.
I had only planned to kill time lightly, but now I was determined to clear this.
"I'm going to break this. It's basically a wrong-picture game with memory. Still, dying the moment I spot the wrong one is lucky. When I die, I can just note what caused it in my wrong-answer notebook."
So I took it seriously.
I checked each thing one by one, thought carefully about the ones that felt off, and decided whether to proceed or go back.
The good part was that even if I was guessing, it was still valid so far.
No monster had appeared.
Thanks to that careful approach, I managed to enter the 7th floor again.
But the moment I stepped forward, the lights at the end of the corridor started flickering out one by one.
"Uh, this really feels off."
It hadn't happened before.
Was there a special event where lights turn off in the second door?
No.
The idea that I just had to be careful between 708 and 703 had been too naive.
I thought there was a set answer per floor, but apparently the oddities happened randomly.
Last time the monster came from the 705 room that should have been next to 703.
This time, if I got eaten by the darkness, I would just go back to the 8th floor.
Even if I went back now, it was still the 8th floor, so I thought.
After I successfully fled to the stairs and finished one loading.
My viewpoint was from the start of the 7th floor because I had gone up the stairs, not at the end of the corridor.
As long as I judged correctly, this miserable backtracking wouldn't happen.
"Sigh, I have to find the rules, find the wrong picture, and be on high alert in case something pops out suddenly. That's why horror games are like this. I'm really tired."
The fatigue built up way faster than when I played League of Champions, but seeing how the viewers enjoyed it made me feel proud.
This was also series-specific.
Once I clear this, I often have to do the next one too.
With that mindset, unlike last time, I walked the 7th floor corridor full of warm lights.
I checked exactly what color the flowers on the table were and how many there were.
I looked carefully to see how many rooms were written on each door.
I checked if the pictures on the walls were drawn properly...?
"Ah, what? Why does the Mona Lisa have eyebrows? I have to go back."
"Umm, this time it's fine... Uh, look. Everyone, the Mona Lisa and the earring girl are following me right now. See? They're moving! I have to go back again."
"Ah, the lights are flickering again. Go back."
"Hah, at this point, it should be time to go forward because there are no oddities. Ah, weren't the lights supposed to be above the left side of the door? It's on the right. Go back."
After I went back four times in a row, choosing based on my own made checklist.
Suddenly I was standing at the start of the 8th floor, not the 7th.
"Wait, if going back is wrong, is there a penalty?"
- Tti-hwak-jzit: Of course, if you're unsure and go back, it's the beginning village.
- Hangarimgeumrobusheum: Ah, I remember the jar game.
- KDMA: Haha, don't make No-rim play the jar game.
- Reksia yeowangnim: No-rim's physical is good and her head is good, so she really would be great at it...
- KDMA: That's why you shouldn't make her play, if she does well it's no fun lol
- Izashikbanggeumhamshik: Rofl
Ah.
This really wasn't a game I could underestimate.
It was too arrogant to think I'd clear it in 30 minutes.