Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Stream Stardom and Coffin Surprises
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Talking about VTubers reminded me of something.
I'd learned it while browsing the gallery. The newbie who'd summoned me in the tutorial map was actually a streamer.
That was surprising enough on its own, but not something to make a fuss over.
This wasn't the first time I'd shown up in one of these, after all.
I'd often seen YouTube videos where people edited my highlight clips.
Sometimes they'd grab footage without even asking, which was annoying, but I'd let it slide without saying anything.
Putting up videos of this trash game didn't make money anyway... views were always in the gutter...
At least if they watched it and brought in even a few newbies, it benefited me too.
Anyway, appearing on a stream wasn't new for me.
But going live in front of thousands? That was a first.
"..."
Good thing I hadn't known. Who knows? I might've freaked out and messed up.
As OMaGal's Gallery Lord and former world #1, that would've been a huge embarrassment.
I wasn't either of those anymore, so maybe it wouldn't matter, but pride's a thing.
I'd never heard of Florence as a group.
I watched streams pretty often, but I stuck to edited YouTube clips. I'd only watch live broadcasts if there was massive hype sweeping everyone up.
Still, with VTubers popping up everywhere, I had a few I subbed to and watched regularly.
It started with streamers I already followed doing stuff like VTuber song World Cups, and I'd get sucked in bit by bit.
Sometimes for good streaming, good singing, or fresh concepts.
If a VTuber dabbled in Odin's Son, I'd lurk to see if they'd get hooked.
A quick search showed Florence had just three members so far.
The room host where I'd appeared, Hanami, was a pretty big-league vet. Her YouTube had earned a Silver Play Button ages ago, and her live streams drew solid numbers too.
In other words, my gameplay had been broadcast to thousands.
...I still wasn't used to it, so it felt a bit embarrassing.
But not in a bad way.
Back when it was trash, showing up on YouTube was just kinda novel and that was it. Now that it's a god game, I'm appearing in front of thousands.
Wonder if an edit drops, it'll get some views?
They still had a long way to go, it seemed.
I silently cheered them on as I clicked the game icon.
Entering the character select screen, a figure wielding a broken straight sword greeted me.
Odin's Son basically let you create alts freely by default.
Back in Tyr: Odin's Son, you'd see the select screen packed with endgame characters from 10th or 20th runs.
Now? Just one main, and even that had barely escaped the early game.
Not complaining, though.
On the contrary, my heart raced.
Filling those empty slots one by one and parking them in Valhalla? Couldn't help but grin.
Come to think of it, wonder how the ranks had shifted in Hel: Odin's Daughter.
Up to the previous games, they followed the popular rank system (Brawl... whatever) but called challenges Valhalla.
Valkyrie achievements and Norse myth flavors made it nice.
Now with 5v5 ranks, who knows? But rank games unlocked after your first run, so it'd take time.
I clicked the proudly bare-chested character and loaded in.
Optimization wasn't terrible, but first loads dragged a bit. Open world, what can ya do.
Once loaded, an underground cave filled the screen.
A gloomy cavern lit only by a single campfire.
This was the game's checkpoint and heal spot. I'd pushed late last night to reach it before quitting.
Even accounting for the underground map, the lighting was brutally dark.
Lucky the fire let me make out details; outside the room, even outlines blurred.
This gimmick led to some fun times yesterday.
Typical dark vision fixes? Two options.
Straight-up: Ditch the shield for a torch.
Torch gimmick basically screamed "no shields."
We'd built all those traps, so drop the crutch and enjoy.
If you really wanted a shield, tweak gamma in settings.
Mention that on the gal and you'd get roasted as a scrub.
Of course, one-hand weapon users like me were different.
I was firm on no shields in PvE.
Using one meant missing the devs' intent 100%.
Cranking settings was cheating from the start.
For no-shield users, swapping to one-hand grip and lighting a torch was standard...
...but didn't that feel like a waste?
This map, shrouded in darkness hiding most of it, was packed with devs' blood, sweat, and genius in every corner—skipping the savor without a torch? Unforgivable as a fan.
They'd prepped so hard—"How dare they skip the torch? Time to suffer!"
So yesterday, late into the night for hours, I strained my eyes, relying on foot exploration to navigate this maze.
Click on a dark step? Arrows fly. Pull a string? Axe blade drops. Just breathe? Boulder rolls.
Prone-hiding enemies ambushing from behind were appetizers; fake campfires were dessert.
Moments where it felt too much had curses flying, but my lips betrayed me with grins.
Constant laughter.
This was happiness.
This was life.
Die and reset progress? So what?
More map knowledge gained—net positive, right?
People misunderstood vets as barely dying and breezing clears. Truth was the opposite.
Vets die a ton.
Content dries up, so "content discovery" turns daily life into pointless nonsense.
Me in rags with a broken straight sword? Not suicide bait. Just approximating my comfy setup till I got a proper one.
FYI, late-game weapons weren't inherently stronger.
Straight Sword: Fenrir's Fang lost to Straight Sword: Wild Dog Teeth in practical performance.
Anyway, vets "can't die even if they want" hits when you've licked every content dry.
By 20th-30th runs, you know everywhere by heart—harder to die on purpose.
New content drops? We die normally too.
Light gear might kill us more than newbies.
Case in point.
Left the campfire room, walked the lonely path.
Hit a fork: a coffin lay toppled.
Normal at first glance. Decor objects scattered through the cave.
First pass? No red flags. Dozens identical on the way in.
But 30 seconds after a player passes?
Shoddy looks; a few pokes with the broken straight sword crumbled it quick. Basic mob.
High damage for trash, but slow—easy to dodge.
But last night, battered by traps, choking poison gas, HP in tatters, I staggered to the fire and lit up with relief.
Passed the lurking coffin in the dark without noticing.
Door barred with iron grate, but lever right beside. Pulled it—grate rose smoothly.
Waiting patiently as it opened, then—wind-cutting whoosh from behind.
-"..."
How to describe this feeling.
Yeah. Nostalgia.
Deep down, for so long, I'd craved this.
This... unmistakable stench of pure bullshit.
Thrilling.
Always fresh.
-"Tyr: Odin's Son is the best..."