Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Come at Me, World
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Communities are, by nature, places where people gather and leave freely.
This also means people can come together easily and scatter just as quickly.
Without a central focus, a community lacks any real reason for people to stick around.
In other words, without a spark, it just dies off doing nothing.
But if even the tiniest spark appears...
Due to the nature of communities, that spark ignites fiercely and spreads rapidly.
Just like right now.
The initial spark burned quietly at first.
Because it was just embers clinging to the ashes of what had already burned out.
It had flared up once over the Yura incident.
And again over the record update.
Even a fire can't rage forever.
It had been burning for hours already, so there was no fuel left for a third round.
I figured it would just fizzle out quietly.
Until someone posted a massive wall of text.
That was the true ignition point.
(A bunch of claims asserting it's faked)
A pretty damn long critique.
Reading it, I had just one thought.
"Fair enough."
Yeah.
That makes sense.
It's a game, not reality, after all.
Misunderstandings like this can happen.
It's all unproven speculation, but that's how you build evidence, right?
So I could forgive a little rudeness like this.
But...
Hm...
It's kinda pissing me off.
I like giving advice.
I don't like my advice being doubted.
What to do about this...
In this information age, the problem is that wars—whether flames or otherwise—never end cleanly.
Modern society means the internet lets fire spread anywhere.
What started in the community splashed everywhere, eventually landing in Yura's fan cafe.
Inevitable, really.
I was a named viewer on her stream, after all.
Fortunately, the splashback to Yura herself was minimal.
There wasn't much direct connection to her anyway.
No real hooks or excuses to drag her in.
In this situation, Yura had a slightly risky thought.
The trigger? The tournament rules doc right in front of her.
Yura's reason for the tournament? Simple: make money.
That's why, before her manager complained, she made it open to non-viewers too.
Pay a decent entry fee, and you're in.
She tweaked the rules a bit after the manager's fit, but the goal was straightforward: cash.
Now, imagine that viewer—the one who basically sparked the whole tournament—shows up.
The Mitube storyline would be perfect.
Science says nothing's 100%, but...
Yura was 100% sure.
This prints money.
But...
"Argh! Why the hack controversy! I'd invite him if not for that!"
The hack drama was a real shame.
Yura was a streamer in the gaming scene, after all.
Inviting someone tangled in hack rumors—a near-taboo—to a tournament, not just a stream?
That'd be real trouble.
Beyond the current manageable mess.
So she had to tread carefully on hacks.
'It's not even confirmed he's a hacker yet... such a waste.'
Only seeing the cards would prove if he's legit.
Even Yura, who loved high-stakes gambles,
Steered clear of all-in ruin bets.
As Yura smacked her lips in regret,
A post with the same title popped up.
She clicked instinctively.
The content was simple.
A post preserving some toxic chats.
Its meaning? Elementary-level obvious.
A declaration of war.
A provocation.
Chicken?