Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Ariant World Strongest Tournament (2)
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The employee break room at the game center was filled with Death Knights.
Death Knight posters lined the walls, and in one corner stood a life-sized Death Knight figure proudly displaying its majesty.
The capsules, seemingly prepared for employee welfare, were painted black with blue lines representing the Death Knight's glowing eyes.
It was obvious who had turned the break room into this shrine.
"...Nothing's showing up in the chat window. Is it a bug?"
Oh Yu-wol. The girl who loved Death Knights.
Seo-hwa looked at Yu-wol, who spoke in an awkward tone. Her speech and voice were different from in Ariant World. It didn't seem like her real personality, so maybe she was just shy since this was their first meeting in real life.
"It's not a bug."
Yu-wol stared at her phone screen with a flustered expression as Seo-hwa answered calmly.
"It's not a bug?"
"There are no viewers, that's why."
What Yu-wol was watching was Seo-hwa's first stream. Yu-wol had asked to see it as a reference, so Seo-hwa had happily shown it to her.
Apparently, the sight of her playing Legend of League while talking to herself in an empty stream had been quite a shock to Yu-wol.
"Oh, so you're saying she was streaming that happily even with no one watching?"
"Just streaming itself makes her happy."
"Th-that's impressive."
Just then, someone entered the break room.
"Daughter. At the counter... Huh? Who's that girl?"
"Just someone I know."
"She looks familiar. Hold on, no way."
The middle-aged man who entered the break room slowly formed a surprised expression.
Seo-hwa gazed puzzled at the man who looked like Yu-wol's father.
'Where have I seen him before?'
Then it hit her.
'He's the one who begged me to work part-time.'
He was the guy at the game center counter when she'd gone to buy new VR IV fluids after one got damaged in the capsule.
To think he was Yu-wol's father. What an astonishing coincidence.
'They don't look alike at all.'
Aside from her different hair and eye color, Yu-wol looked just like her in-game avatar. She had a cool impression that still drew glances from passersby.
But her father looked nothing like her. Anyone would mistake them for complete strangers.
'Maternal genetics, huh.'
Seo-hwa was half-convinced.
Il-wol realized who she was too.
'...That customer with the cat ears from back then?'
The female customer he'd wanted to hire as part-time help even if it took thirty visits. He never imagined he'd run into her here.
'But why does she feel so familiar, like I've seen her multiple times?'
Il-wol was puzzled. He was sure he hadn't seen her since then, yet she felt strangely familiar.
"Daughter. Is she really just someone you know? She definitely looks familiar."
After persistently whispering, he finally got the girl's identity from his daughter, and Il-wol's eyes widened in shock.
'Cheisi?'
The most famous player in Ariant World, bar none?
Il-wol didn't think long.
He pulled a business card from his pocket, one he always carried.
"Dad, don't embarrass me!"
"Yu-wol, your father's working here."
Ignoring his daughter who averted her eyes in embarrassment, Il-wol handed a card to Seo-hwa.
"I'm Oh Il-wol. I run a virtual reality game center. Nice to meet you."
It was an excessively humble posture for introducing himself to his daughter's friend.
Seo-hwa took the card and replied on reflex.
"I'm Yoo Seo-hwa. I don't have a card."
"Would you ever consider part-time work at our game center?"
Il-wol was already convinced.
Just her looks alone could boost daily sales to launch-day levels for VR games.
And to top it off, she was a player who dominated fame in Ariant World.
If she manned the counter for even a day, sales would hit an all-time record. The publicity would be incomparable.
"Even for a day—no, an hour, just for fun..."
"Stop it!"
Yu-wol shoved Il-wol out. After finally pushing him completely out of the break room, she muttered wearily.
"Dad, seriously..."
The break room door locked tight after Il-wol left.
Seo-hwa spoke to Yu-wol, who was glaring at it.
"You use casual speech with your dad but formal with me."
"...It just felt right."
"We've seen each other plenty in VR since Runein Village. You can be casual."
Her helmet was off anyway, and she didn't want to keep things formal after all their time together.
"Be casual. Seriously."
After agonizing, Yu-wol finally nodded reluctantly.
Seo-hwa felt hands fiddling with her ears and thought.
'How did it come to this.'
Why did everyone target her ears and tail the moment she said to be casual?
"This feels so relaxing..."
Yu-wol's voice melted like butter, but her hands kept kneading the ear.
When asked why she had cat ears on her head, she'd said they were real, and now she was getting groped like this.
'It kinda feels good, though.'
At first, it felt awkward when someone touched her cat ears, but now it was different—maybe she was getting used to it. She hated to admit it, but it felt nice little by little.
'...Hnya.'
As she savored the sensation on her ear, a strange tingle suddenly ran through her whole body.
She let out an involuntary yelp, and Yu-wol pulled her hand away from the tail in panic.
Touching the tail still felt too awkward.
"Th-the ears are fine, but the tail's sensitive."
"S-sorry..."
"Anyway, if you're satisfied, stop touching now."
Time to get to why she'd come here.
While setting up the streaming gear on the break room capsule, Yu-wol made a reluctant face.
"D-do we really have to stream? Don't you just need an Abyss account to enter?"
"Wow, that's the perfect mindset to get flamed. You gotta stream to be a streamer."
"M-my goal is the tournament, not streaming..."
Seo-hwa grinned at the hesitant Yu-wol. Where did she think she was going now?
"My goal is to make you stream."
"Why...?"
"Because streaming makes you happy. Call it happiness evangelism. And think about it."
Yu-wol's interest was Death Knights. The posters plastering the break room and the life-sized figure said it all.
More precisely, the anime Great Death Knight. Probably.
And to persuade someone, you target their interests.
"If you become an Abyss streamer, you might collab with Great Death Knight."
"C-collab?"
Yu-wol's voice perked up with interest. Nailed it.
"...Really?"
Great Death Knight was such a famous IP that they'd chatted happily with viewers when Yu-wol had hijacked her stream briefly. Collabs between the anime and Abyss streamers were rare, but with a big IP like that, a game tie-in was likely.
"It's possible."
New games often collabed with Abyss streamers. It'd depend on the studio deciding to promote on Abyss, but if she consistently showed she was a fan, the opportunity would go to 'Streamer Yu-wol' first.
"Me as a streamer... collab with Great Death Knight...?"
"If you're hooked on streaming, lie down."
She pointed to the capsule with the gear set up. Yu-wol hesitated forever before slowly climbing in.
Cheisi logged into Ariant World via another capsule in the break room.
Next to the already-logged-in Yu-wol floated a familiar monster.
Tu?
The Lens Monster tilted toward her questioningly.
As if wondering why it had to be with someone else instead of its owner.
Since the streaming gear linked to the Lens Monster, the one with Yu-wol was the exact same one Cheisi had.
She'd unintentionally lent it out. It seemed to function fine, so no issue.
"Today's owner is changing for a bit."
Tu? Tu!
After explaining, the Lens Monster flapped its devil wings confidently, as if saying leave it to me.
Cheisi turned to Yu-wol.
"Alright, straight into the real thing."
"A-at least one practice run..."
Yu-wol spoke urgently, burdened by her first stream. Cheisi delivered the harsh truth.
"I already started it. Greet them quick."
"...What?!"
Yu-wol panicked and hurriedly bowed to the Lens Monster. She knew it was the viewers' viewpoint.
"H-hello there! Everyone! Burnt Knight, Oh Yu-wol... here... pleased to meet you..."
Her speech and voice shifted. Was that how she talked on stream?
After the greeting, Yu-wol paused, then turned to her.
"Cheisi, help me. I can't see the chat."
"Of course not. The stream's not on yet."
"What...?"
She glared with betrayal, as if tricked. Cheisi shrugged.
"Practice over? Then real deal time."
"O-okay, got it."
While doing final checks, Yu-wol muttered softly.
"There'll be someone watching, right...?"
At her tiny worry, Cheisi smiled faintly.
'As if.'
A VR game player famous enough for news mentions, and a total beauty debuting as a streamer? No way no interest.
Plus, she'd already promoted it.
[Death Knight's Abyss debut stream today at noon]
Her first post on the Abyss board.
Casual title, but explosive impact.
Over five hundred comments. Views past a hundred thousand.
Yu-wol's debut mattered.
Unlike her own nameless start where no one showed.
Noob streamers' first streams hit rock bottom—no one knows them.
For someone famous like Yu-wol, it peaked high. Curiosity drew crowds hearing a celeb was streaming.
Of course, promo was key. She'd maxed it out, so no worries.
"Wh-what if I'm not popular enough for a Great Death Knight collab..."
Cheisi chuckled softly at Yu-wol's anxious mutter.
She clearly had no idea what was coming.