Repent and Come Back

"If you're really not going to say a single word on stream, you might as well just give up. At least with OnTube there might be other options, but on Liming that approach will never work."

"Yes. It's absolute." Tyuni declared with certainty.

A moment later, a woman's voice I had never heard before came quietly through the headphones. The mute icon beside the nickname Inquisitor had been turned off at some point.

"...Huh?"

Tyuni's thoughts ground to a halt.

Did I just mishear that?

But as if to shatter the illusion, the woman's voice flowed out once more. It was high and clear, carrying a distinctly youthful tone. The whisper-like quality had no unpleasant edges whatsoever. Instead, it felt soothing, easing both mind and body. A voice so pure it could only be described as flawless and transparent.

That... is this person's voice?

The same lunatic concept player who wore full-plate armor, swung a warhammer, refused to touch a microphone, and smashed the head of anyone connected to the Elun Church the moment she saw them? It was impossible to believe.

Tyuni had simply assumed the Inquisitor was a man.

"Um, by any chance... are you using a voice changer?"

Internet streams could gain a meaningful advantage just by having a female voice, and some people deliberately used voice changers to capitalize on that. It wasn't inherently bad. Of course, lying about being a woman would be wrong, but plenty of male streamers openly admitted their gender while using voice changers. Sometimes that very gap became their unique hook and built a loyal fanbase.

Tyuni wondered if this person was aiming for that angle.

The question came back with pure, innocent curiosity.

"Um, so... you're a man, right...?"

She really was a woman. Tyuni felt certain after that answer. Of all the things she had heard lately, this was easily the most shocking.

Is the fact that I'm a woman really that surprising?

They had never heard my voice before, and in-game I was always wearing full-plate armor, so there was no way to tell my gender. It was basically Schrödinger's gender. But why had everyone assumed I was a man? Of course I had been a man in my previous life, but I could hardly say that.

"Um...? Tyuni...?"

Apparently learning I was a woman had been quite the shock; Tyuni hadn't spoken until I called her name. Half the world is female and she herself is a woman—what was there to be so stunned about?

"So, with the mic on now, what should I do next?"

"Yes. I think that's probably what I'll do."

Strange. The total number of viewers who had entered my previous streams was four, and none of them had stayed longer than five minutes. Could that really be called "drawing people"?

There was nothing logically wrong with what Tyuni said.

"A special hook…."

If I streamed, what kind of special point could I offer? Being an extremely skilled player, maybe? I could clear the current end-game content—Tagirion's raid in Cliphort's Castle—without much trouble. I was confident in both PVP and AOS modes too. Since I enjoyed New Dimension in all sorts of ways, I could also introduce different playstyles.

But the game had already been out for fifteen months. Could skill alone really be enough to succeed? I felt like I needed another distinguishing factor….

Small streamer. The term for someone with very few viewers. When I had watched her earlier she had around sixty people watching. That was considered few? Then what on earth was I...?

"It's all right. I learned a lot. Thank you…."

With that, I ended the call with Tyuni.

Time to think seriously. A special point. Something only I could offer….

Ah. I had a good idea.

"Ahem."

I cleared my throat the moment the broadcast began. I knew no one would join instantly, but there was always the chance someone might drop in, so I had to be ready. It would be awkward if I stumbled over my words because I wasn't prepared.

I had already separated the broadcast microphone from the in-game one like Tyuni taught me. As for stream quality... this should be fine, right? I still wasn't sure. I'd ask Tyuni again later just to be safe.

Lucky. The opponent was a heretic right from the start. When viewers joined, I would be able to show them exactly how cool I could be.

"Hello... there…."

I didn't forget to greet them. I started communicating the way Tyuni had told me to. It was a little embarrassing, just as I had expected, but maybe because I wasn't talking face-to-face it wasn't as difficult as I feared. My voice might have come out a bit quiet, but speaking itself wasn't that hard.

I answered confidently.

"Unfortunately, I'm a man…."

After thinking carefully about what Tyuni had said yesterday, I decided this was the right approach. The special point only I could show on stream was that my gender was basically Schrödinger's. I didn't fully understand it myself, but when Tyuni had learned my gender she had been genuinely shocked. It seemed that both my avatar and playstyle gave off a masculine impression by default.

If a streamer whose voice sounded female claimed to be a man, wouldn't that spark interest? It might only work on first-time viewers, but Tyuni had said the most important thing was catching new arrivals and turning them into regulars.

"I'm using a voice changer."

I even went out of my way to say I was using a voice changer, stirring up a little aggro. That was bound to make people wonder exactly what kind of streamer I was….

Did I think about this wrong?

"I'm a man…. I'm using a voice changer."

It didn't seem like the strategy was completely off after all. By the time I had won four PVP matches in a row, there were four whole viewers on the stream.

The reactions didn't seem particularly positive, but at least people were watching. That was something.

"I looked it up, and... netkama means someone who hides that they're a man and pretends to be a woman. Since I'm openly saying I'm a man, that doesn't apply to me…."

"Um... I'm already speaking as loudly as I can…. I'm not really used to talking, so please understand…."

"Um... what 'Inquisitor' does Mr. DontBeAbsurd know?"

"That's not crazy, that's making heretics repent...!"

"...A hacker? Me? That controversy already ended. They officially announced I'm not a hacker.... What exactly do I need to explain...?"

Why did everyone, Tyuni included, keep asking me to explain myself?

"No, um... Mr. OhReally. Do you happen to like conspiracy theories...? The kind where you believe the government puts chips in your brain if you take certain medicine...?"

"Why do people assume that if they can't do something, no one else can...? By that logic, every pro gamer is hacking and every athlete is doping.... I think that's a very sad way of thinking…."

When I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠calmly and logically refuted him, OhReally left the stream after that last message. Had I been too serious? When every single viewer was precious, I might have just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made a huge mistake.

Hmm. But wrong was wrong.

"It's not a grudge. I told you, I'm making heretics repent. My job is Inquisitor. By the way, are you a self-proclaimed Priest in New ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dimension...?"

"Repent and come back. I'll ban you for ten minutes."

After the ten-minute ban, DontBeAbsurd never returned even after the time was up.

...Why?