Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Feminine Voice Shock
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I skimmed through the Odin's Son Minor Gallery concept post.
It was all about me.
“...”
I roughly browsed the game communities.
My stories were overflowing everywhere.
“...”
Something.
Something was happening.
It felt like I'd fallen victim to some mischievous prank.
There was no sense of reality.
Was this how Truman felt?
“Dizzy...”
Maybe I'd been too complacent, thinking I'd just pop in as a guest and chat a little to loosen my lips.
Honestly, I had a bit of an exhibitionist streak.
If I didn't, I never would've taken on a losing proposition like being Gallery Lord.
I wouldn't have run weekend tournaments with burgers as prizes every time.
Hell, the Potbelly Uncle and I had somehow ended up auto-banned and pivoted to commentators.
But just because there's a little kid inside me who craves attention doesn't mean I want to get thrown in front of thousands all of a sudden. Don't misinterpret it like that.
I checked the established voice chat room.
The chat history had a roughly summarized plan posted.
It was too flimsy to call a script—just an outline of how things would probably go.
They'd rushed the schedule so suspiciously fast.
Was that constant low posture because of this?
I checked VTube just in case.
Let's see, the views...
One. Ten. Hundred. Thousand... What the hell.
“...So there was a reason, huh?”
Looking back, it was really low posture.
There must've been good cause for it.
Hell, I might've gotten away with just saying I'd stick to chat.
“Haa... What now.”
Not a single worry about my voice had been resolved.
The voice was just so distinctive...
Even my mumbling was a pleasant, beautiful timbre.
Maybe I was overreacting about just a voice when it wasn't even my face...
But I couldn't shake the worry that calls might come pouring in from people I didn't even know existed, all because of that voice.
A bit paranoid, maybe, but I couldn't completely dismiss the possibility.
‘Ji-min! I was so worried about you!’
‘You okay now? Can you go outside?’
‘Yeah, the living have to keep living. Good thinking. Good thinking.’
Agh. Ugh. Argh.
Just imagining calls like that made my chest tighten.
The odds were low, but even that slim chance felt suffocating.
Still, I couldn't keep living like this.
And that wasn't even the only problem.
Even if contacts came later, right now I had to worry about nailing the stream first.
One wrong word, and it'd be preserved forever in front of tens of thousands live.
I might have an exhibitionist streak, but that difficulty was way too high for a total newbie.
The stream hadn't even started, and my body was already going rigid.
What if I fumbled from nerves and tanked the whole thing?
My gaze drifted blankly to the liquor cabinet.
Rows of glass bottles stood neatly aligned.
That one there.
Just pour in some cola and ice with that rum, and boom—courage potion ready.
Recipe-wise, it'd probably go something like this.
I pondered for a moment, then shook my head.
It wasn't my stream—I didn't have the gall to pull that on someone else's.
The character on screen greeted Hanami and her fifteen thousand viewers.
I hadn't expected to see it again, so I wasn't exactly thrilled.
Viewers were still pouring in even now.
It hadn't been long since she went live, so they'd keep climbing for a while.
A quick peek at voice chat showed the managers screaming their heads off.
She immediately adjusted the chat cooldown.
The rampaging chat window settled to something readable, at least.
Might not hold if viewers swelled more, but it'd do for now.
“Alright, let's calm down a bit!! Got someone waiting, so let's head out!!”
She tidied the mood and clicked her character.
Returning to the spot where she'd logged out, bloodstains and rainbow hues littered the area.
“What's all this now.”
Communication was tough.
The chat window vanishing in afterimages induced vertigo.
It was utter pandemonium.
All her agency managers were out in force, fighting valiantly, but it was beyond handling.
I inwardly promised bonuses as I headed to the rendezvous.
Followed decent hints to slip through the cave, and the screen went black.
Reading chat amid that? Pure pro vibes.
“Loading's dragging a bit?”
Open world meant the first load took ages.
Thought to fill the gap with chit-chat, but no dice.
‘...Still manageable though?’
Couldn't match her usual smooth flow, but I ditched worries about flaming.
Trolls incoming? Nah, surprisingly gentlemanly.
VTubers... or streaming unfamiliar? Rule-breakers getting banned here and there.
But that was everyday stuff.
Last time she cracked 20k? Collab with a megacorp?
Nah, official tourney when the waterworks hit and every juice slurper swarmed.
Fumbled every move while sniffling.
Dodged official events ever since.
“Loading's done!! Heading to Sensei now!!”
On the flip, she was holding the stream together somehow—quite the sentiment.
Hyped the mood during loading and hit the field.
Latest-game graphics dazzled them.
What stood out most in the Norse myth game Odin's Son?
Yggdrasil, obviously.
The world tree smack in the vast open world's center.
So massive it didn't even feel like a tree.
More like a mountain ridge or canyon formation.
The sacred ash with roots spanning the world—story's core.
“Oh. Graphics are solid.”
That was Hanami's take, clueless on details.
She soothed grumpy OG fans with her tame reactions, snipped long posts, mollified regulars, cherry-picked info for reactions, and pushed the game.
Arrived at the pre-arranged spot to find the seal waiting.
Rainbow-hued mirage.
Hanami approached, and a shadow flitted within.
Familiar silhouette she hadn't expected so soon.
Boil-covered skin.
Lumpy brow.
Twisted cheekbones and jaw.
“Eww.”
Nope. Actually not glad at all.
Recalled the prefab script.
Rush-job collab, nothing fancy.
Vet teaches newbie controls, intros Odin's Son.
Topic scorching hot—no need for grand plans.
Show her boss struggles, then vet smashes same boss easy. Buzz gold.
Couldn't script complex anyway.
Pre-chats revealed guest wasn't even a regular viewer.
Said she watched plenty, but mostly VTube edits.
Tough to expect live improv from Sensei.
Soon, the grotesque form appeared afar.
Lurching closer fast—still creepy as ever.
No time to dig into the vet's background.
That imposing mug might yield shaky voice or stumbling mess.
But if guest sucked at talk? Play it up—that's streaming!!
Hanami rehearsed her lines once more.
Not much meat to 'em, sadly.
“Thrilled to have you back. Today's Sensei, Backside-nim!!”
“Hello.”
And that was that.
First words vaporized every line in her head.
“Odin's Son user Backside here.”
A voice unbelievable from that hideous character.
Clear, pleasant beautiful timbre.
And.
Eh? Woman's voice?
"?"
"?"
A beat of silence passed.
Then the chat exploded.
“...Hanami-nim?”
Hanami froze solid, unable to react, as the chat rocketed upward at insane speed until it glitched out.
The clueless managers saw the stalled chat and dropped their hands.
“Hanami-nim?”
“...Huh?”
“Uh. Can't hear me maybe?”
“Nweh?”
What'd broken wasn't just the chat.
Hanami had too.