Chapter 38

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 38

Chapter Title: Leaving Megrana Pit (1)

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Cheisi waved goodbye to her viewers.

"I'll end the stream here!"

No matter how much the viewers protested, the streamer always had the final say.

Cheisi did her best to calm the furious chat before ending the broadcast and approaching the girl.

"Ah, it won't come off..."

The girl was yanking desperately at the crown of mist on her head, squeezing her eyes shut with all her might.

"You're the Knight, right?"

Hic...?

The girl jumped in shock at Cheisi's voice, her gaze darting to the lens monster beside her.

Roo?

As the lens monster tilted its body curiously, the girl's fingers began swiftly slicing through the air.

"I've turned off the stream, so don't worry."

Cheisi quickly soothed the girl, who looked ready to log out at any second.

Her over ten years of social experience shone through.

Afterward, Cheisi opened her friends list.

She'd sent a party request.

"...Eh?"

The girl's violet eyes stared blankly at Cheisi, as if she'd never seen it coming.

"Why...?"

"You gonna accept it or what?"

There was a reason, but now wasn't the time to explain.

Cheisi flashed the most harmless, reassuring smile honed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from ten years in the working world.

The girl, having accepted the request, looked at Cheisi with puzzled eyes. Her confusion lingered.

Of course, there was a reason. Cheisi cleared her throat and spoke up.

"It's not because you're a cutie or because you've got high-grade gear that makes you useful as a tank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or anything like that..."

She tried to explain, but it seemed the girl couldn't care less.

"Th-thank you, milord!"

The girl dropped to one knee before Cheisi, as if whatever she said didn't matter.

"I'll do my best! I won't be a burden!"

Cheisi had turned off her stream to persuade the girl and apologize, but seeing those touched violet eyes, she was at a loss for words.

It felt like ending the stream had been a mistake.

Cheisi decided not to turn her stream back on.

It was to spare the girl's feelings.

"But if we're partying up, you'll end up on my stream. That okay with you?"

The girl glanced nervously at the lens monster, clearly uneasy about broadcasting.

"...R-right. So I have to appear before your viewers like this."

After a moment's hesitation, she placed a hand on her chest and declared,

"B-but I can do it! For I am a great Death Knight!"

Her voice trembled.

"But why—"

"...I have my reasons. If you're c-curious—"

"No, it's fine."

But the girl's eyes shook violently, screaming that she didn't want to talk about it.

It wasn't something Cheisi needed to know right then, so she let it drop.

"I am Oh Yoo-wol."

Cheisi watched as the girl placed her hand on her chest again in greeting.

"Seo-hwa. Yoo Seo-hwa."

Her real name still felt unfamiliar.

Sharing it with a comrade she'd gained in Ariant World brought a smile to the girl's lips.

"Seo-hwa. A noble name."

'...Noble?'

Cheisi set aside her fleeting doubt and decided to handle her guild business first.

"I never thought you'd actually scrape the money together... You're really gonna spend all this on a single fish...?"

Cheisi gave a confident smile to the guild member clutching his forehead.

"Hand it over, quick."

"...You're the only one who'd eat an ornamental fish."

And so, Cheisi obtained the Fogcleaver.

Now she could check its info right in her hand.

But its effects were so powerful that she couldn't eat it just yet.

Cheisi smiled in satisfaction as she carefully stored the Fogcleaver in her inventory.

Oh Yoo-wol's nickname had gone offline.

Cheisi paused in thought.

The reason she'd accepted the party wasn't because the girl was cute or useful as a tank.

It would be a lie to say she didn't care at all—those factors played a tiny role.

Truth be told, if Cheisi had been playing solo, she'd have casually accepted the knight's party invite without a second thought.

But she was a streamer. And in the middle of the Eternal Footprints quest.

There was no reason or spare slots for a useless player.

Or so she'd thought. But apparently, that was wrong.

Judging the girl as unhelpful for streams or worthless in combat based on what she'd seen so far was too hasty.

'Since when did I start caring about stuff like that?'

Ever since hearing she might not be able to stream VR games, anxiety had crept in. After accepting Eternal Footprints, the mention of billions had made her impatient before she knew it.

She didn't want that.

Streaming should follow the streamer's heart.

That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why she'd sent the party request to the knight again.

And now, she had a comrade. A petite silver-haired one.

"...Logout."

Cheisi felt lightness in her voice as she called the command.

"She still seems to have a ton of secrets."

Having a real dinner instead of IV fluids for once, Seo-hwa thought back to the mining town and Fog Mine.

"Azelchen too."

She hadn't explored every nook and cranny. No time to chat with every NPC or rummage through every building and trash bin solo.

Ariant World had only been out for four days. Time to prioritize.

"Eh, other players will handle it."

Scouting every spot in the Fog Mine or uncovering Azelchen's secrets wasn't her job.

She'd leave that to others and head to new areas.

'But no one's been to the flooded zone yet?'

Seo-hwa was puzzled.

Truth be told, she'd only heard about the flooded zone. The idea of being submerged turned her off instinctively.

Of course, her stream schedule now included a visit by accident.

Why go there despite hating water, even planning to splurge 2000 coins on fish for underwater breathing? She needed some rationale to justify the investment.

Anyway, surely some player had tried for the first discovery title, even if they didn't get it.

"...Hmm."

Seo-hwa's brow furrowed as she skimmed flooded zone info.

A map. Players were building a massive one for it.

It was an underwater maze map.

While she'd been in Megrana Pit hunting wraiths, players had revealed the flooded zone's labyrinthine structure.

Tons were tackling it. Abyss's Ariant World streamers too.

Sixty-three, by her count.

Sixty-three streamers exploring the underwater maze.

Naturally, they all chased one thing.

"The first discovery title's mine!"

The quest condition title. Some chased it for adventure, but that wasn't key.

The point: all these players were her rivals.

'...Did they not need underwater breathing effects?'

Seo-hwa's doubt cleared from a casual mutter on an Abyss stream.

"That Fogcleaver's useless. You can just get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠underwater breathing from waterweed."

The word came from a streamer with a bald, shiny avatar.

"......Waterweed?"

Other streams showed the same method.

"Got 30 waterweeds ready!"

Info from the Ariant World community.

A twisty green plant from Azelchen's coastal rocks, granting underwater breathing.

Players were stocking dozens to explore the maze.

The Fogcleaver lasted longer, but even to Seo-hwa, waterweed seemed a viable substitute.

As she realized her 2000-coin investment had tanked in value, her ears drooped.

"G-going in!"

A bold shout from an Abyss streamer.

Before him: a wall of blue liquid cascading down.

Seo-hwa watched the streamer check its info unnecessarily and take deep breaths. He was tense.

He charged into the blue wall boldly—then screamed.

"Kyaaoooo!!!"

His HP vanished in seconds, flinging him to Ariant World's lobby.

Confirming the 1-hour login penalty, he muttered glumly.

"Y-yeah, that dead end really is just a dead end."

Seo-hwa realized it matched a dead end on the underwater maze map.

No wonder—with HP draining that fast, charging in was possible, but passing through? No way.

The lava wall earned its dead-end rep for a reason.

"...Huh."

Seo-hwa tilted her head.

"I think I could get through."

Logging into Abyss, she reviewed the Fogcleaver's abilities.

The 2000-coin fish granted not just underwater breathing, but lava damage immunity too.

At this point, with most players skipping Megrana Pit, she was probably the only one with it.

This might be the key to the underwater maze stumping everyone.