Fake Fear in the Wasteland

"Kyaaa… I'm so scared…"

[KingGodLene @KingGodLene · 3 hours ago] Why doesn't Lene play VR games? I always check various communities before streaming. Most of the time I end up thinking, "How on earth did they come up with that idea?" but occasionally I find some pretty plausible opinions. What do you call that again? Throwing out a bunch of ideas and picking the right one from them. Brain streaming? Yeah, that was probably it.

Anyway, while I was searching for ideas on what to do on stream, a question posted on Nater caught my eye today.

"Hmm…"

Just like that Nater post said, I don't play VR games. More precisely, I don't play any VR games besides New Dimension. If you ask why… well, it was because of money. You had to pay to buy games if you wanted to play them in the Reverse Capsule. And the price was much higher compared to computer games. With the money for one VR game, you could buy at least five games on PC. Games offered as subscription services like New Dimension were relatively cheap to start playing right away, but… even those cost about the same as a decent high-spec computer game. So I'd never even considered trying other VR games. It's only recently that my streams have been doing well enough to make a living, but before that, even living expenses were tight…

But now? I can. There's no problem at all. If anything, it would be a gain since it would open up tons of new options for streaming too. Of course computer games have their own unique atmosphere and fun, but for the next stream, let's try a different VR game. So which one should I play…

After making that decision, while I was looking for a good game…

"…This is it."

I found a game that seemed perfect for me.

"Hmm. Hello… Today I'll be playing a game called 'In This Wasteland'…"

"Yes… It's a game about judging heretics. In other words, something I'm good at…"

I'd already read the game description before starting the stream today. Simply put, it's that kind of game, right? A game where you progress the story while defeating enemies. It probably just means it's a good game to pass the time with, nothing complicated.

The viewers were trying to scare me, but I wasn't fooled. I was already used to their fuss. It was obvious they were just making a big deal out of nothing again.

"Then let's get started…"

As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the game started, a title written in crooked letters appeared along with some eerie music. Then my vision swirled for a moment, giving the feeling of being sucked in, and what appeared before me was an old man lying on a bed.

[Aah… So this is where it ends for me too….]

[I didn't want to give up. I wanted to struggle until the very end…. If I were to die, I hoped it would be beside my comrades, not on a bed….]

[To think someone like me would meet such a peaceful death…. I'm sorry to everyone….]

[…But who are you?]

The old man muttered incomprehensible words, and as I listened, a system message window appeared before me.

…Well. My affiliation was obvious.

[Ia Church…? An organization with a name I've never heard before….]

[But the fact that you've appeared before this old man must mean that….]

[I beg of you.]

[Everything may already be over, but… show them that our will has not yet ended….]

And with those words, the old man quietly closed his eyes.

Thud, thud.

I hadn't done anything, but my gaze naturally turned along with the sound of footsteps. What appeared was a door leading outside the shabby hut. The door, rusted and making an unpleasant creaking sound, opened with a "kiiik—".

"…Oh."

What unfolded before my eyes was a burning world.

[There was still a living one…?]

"Is this the tutorial…?"

While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was checking the chat reactions, three choices were presented to me.

…Well. I probably would anyway, but still, when choices are given, people naturally want to check them out.

"Hmm…"

"I'll go with the warhammer…"

The system about additional speed reduction when injured bothered me a bit, but still, the familiar option was better. After coming to that conclusion and selecting the warhammer, with a "thud!" sound, a warhammer appeared before me. When I grabbed it, the moderately heavy sensation felt nice. It felt closer to the one I used to use than the warhammers in New Dimension. But there was one problem: my body didn't move as much as I wanted. It wasn't to the point where movement was uncomfortable, but it was completely different from the movements I had in mind. That's why I use acceleration skills in New Dimension too.

…Well, it wasn't to the point where I couldn't do it at all. In that world too, they would sometimes cast strange magic on me when I was bored to slow down my movements. If I think of it as that kind of situation and move… I should be able to manage somehow.

[Give up and die!]

The corrupted dwarf, Andvari, looked quite strange. No matter how I looked at it, it wasn't the dwarf I knew. Its skin was dyed a deep blue, with thick purple veins bulging out. Its face was completely distorted… Hmm. The left side of its face had completely melted and was dripping down. I could understand a little why the chat called it disgusting.

[Kyaaaaaaaak!]

Andvari opened its mouth wide and charged at me. I took a slight step back and swung the warhammer. With a "pueok!" sound, the familiar sensation of flesh being crushed traveled to my fingertips. In an instant, Andvari's HP bar disappeared by more than 30 percent.

"Mentioning other streamers is prohibited…"

I continued attacking while having the usual conversation with the viewers, and since it was a tutorial monster, there weren't any particularly difficult parts, so I was able to defeat it quickly…

[Kuaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!]

"Whoa."

Suddenly, Andvari's body split in half, and something burst out from inside. Blue bodily fluids were wriggling all over its body—how should I describe this? One thing was certain: it wasn't a dwarf.

…Ah. Maybe I should have pretended to be surprised here? Honestly, I'd seen so many things like this that I didn't feel anything. Especially among demons, there were many like this—they would send their subordinates to me, and when I defeated them, demonic beasts would burst out from inside. There were so many more disgusting ones than what I just saw.

…Still, for now.

"…Kyaa, kyaaaa…. I'm so scared…"

Hmm. Unfortunately, my triumphant acting seemed to have failed.