Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: It's Not a Self-Deprecating Stream
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It had already been several hours since I'd holed up under the covers.
But no matter how much time passed, the accusations that "Sukka was just faking being crazy" wouldn't leave my head.
They were using the VR device's safety features as evidence to doubt me.
Their claim was that if I'd truly panicked while playing the game, the VR device would have detected the danger and forced a logout.
Of course, I could understand the idea that VR devices had safety features.
The early model I'd used in the past didn't have any, but that was four years ago now, so it wouldn't be strange if they'd advanced.
But understanding it didn't mean I wanted to accept it.
After all, if modern VR devices were really that safe, wouldn't that make my past self seem even more pitiful?
The thought crossed my mind: "Maybe they developed the safety features because of my near-death incident?" It left me feeling endlessly depressed.
The people doubting me instead of the VR device's safety just seemed malicious.
"Then why did that happen last night..."
I glared at the VR device with eyes full of resentment.
To begin with, I'd never faked a panic attack, so the culprit in this incident had to be that stupid VR device.
Having come to that conclusion, I crawled out from under the covers and started examining the VR device.
It was unmistakably the latest model—a comfortable recliner-type unit. There had to be a reason its safety features hadn't activated.
"Oh, right..."
When I opened the lid of the VR device I'd been sealed inside, I immediately spotted the reason the safety features had stayed silent.
"This thing's a coffin, after all..."
As soon as the lid opened, the smell of gunpowder wafted out strongly.
It was the lingering scent of the incendiary grenade left behind by my past self, Victoria, who had handed her body over to me and departed for a distant place.
Naturally, I couldn't help but suspect that was the cause.
The VR device wasn't a barbecue grill, so if a fire had been lit inside, something was bound to go wrong.
I thought of my past self, Victoria, and prayed for her soul for a long time.
Then, pushing aside my complicated feelings for the moment, I turned on the VR device's power.
[Safety check required.]
Sure enough, a red light was blinking in one corner of the display.
It was a warning notification about a safety issue that I'd been too out of it to notice yesterday.
The blinking light and the "check required" message hit me right in the chest.
In the process of my past self leaving this world, her VR device had gotten damaged too.
"Come to think of it, things were noisy outside the house..."
Of course, the safety features had probably activated at some point.
If this thing hadn't detected the danger to the user and opened the lid, when I returned to the real world, I would have woken up in a coffin instead of on the bedroom floor.
And in that process, this device had broken down.
It must have filtered out carbon monoxide from the fiercely burning incendiary grenade clutched to my chest until its safety features failed.
Of course, it would have diligently sent an emergency alert in the meantime.
The problem was that, right after logging back in, I'd been so out of it that I'd treated the paramedics who arrived in response as enemies.
"So it was broken after all..."
With all the puzzle pieces falling into place, the VR device finally seemed admirable.
It might have been a half-baked deduction bordering on delusion, but with the warning light on, it seemed pretty credible.
Either way, it was definitely broken, so I now had evidence to refute all the blame being heaped on me.
It felt like a century-old lump in my throat was finally dissolving at the thought of finally driving off those demons from the abyss.
"But I still need to keep quiet about it..."
However, I couldn't go around publicizing this fact.
Suicide in the game and suicide in reality were completely different in weight from the start.
If I couldn't hold back the stress and spilled the truth, it would cause a huge mess.
Shin Ara's worries would only deepen, and she might even drag me to another doctor recommending drug treatment.
I couldn't cover up the experiences from the Eastern Front or the comrades who sacrificed for me with medication.
I was in a position where I had to take the fact of my past self's suicide to the grave.
"So that's how I was able to play the game yesterday."
On top of that, thinking about it, it wasn't all bad.
After all, I was a PTSD patient who got short of breath just from starting the game.
If the safety features hadn't been broken, I probably couldn't have even logged in last night.
It was a bit ambiguous whether to be happy or sad about it, but this VR device was practically a custom machine tailored just for me.
Moreover, with only that one warning light, the other functions seemed intact.
I'd confirmed it while playing Frontline Archive last night, so as long as I was careful, there shouldn't be any issues.
A mentally broken person and a malfunctioning machine.
We really were a perfectly matched pair.
"Coffin."
Having grown inexplicably fond of it despite everything, I even gave the VR device a name.
Then, I cautiously sat on the comfortable upper part.
Soon, sensing its owner's body heat, the coffin switched to online status.
The film monitor embedded in the lid turned on, starting to function like a regular computer.
If I closed the lid here, I'd drop straight into the virtual world.
The feeling of straddling the line between game and reality sent chills down my spine.
[Friend requests +87]
At that moment, a notification popped up on the monitor right in front of me.
It seemed viewers from the stream had sent me friend requests.
Wondering why there were so many, I clicked the icon.
Among the flood of nicknames unfolding before my eyes, I soon spotted one that looked familiar.
[Ttalgwi]
I'd expected contact, but not this quickly.
After pondering what to do for a moment, I moved the cursor to the accept button.
* * *
『Ttalgwi, you watching the game right now?』
『Did you apologize to Sukka yet?』
『When's the nude dogeza?』
┗ Chat blocked and deleted.
Han Sera, the popular streamer going by the nickname Ttalgwi.
She was currently playing Frontline Archive, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Of course, it wasn't because the game was scary.
It was just that the chat, ignited by last night's events, was completely overwhelming.
"I already said I sent the friend request... I can't apologize or whatever until we can actually talk..."
『Just ignore them and play the game lololol』
『But did Ttalgwi even do anything wrong? She just got unlucky and tangled with a crazy girl, right?』
『lololol the rat fans are at it again with their bullshit』
『Fr, what did Ttalgwi do wrong? Did she frame a mentally unstable person as a cheater? Call her a sniper? Or drag her squad to gang up on a newbie? If you don't know, just stfu』
"You idiots! I admit I was wrong, so cut it out! And if you badmouth Sukka-nim, you're getting blocked, so watch it!"
The chat had already split into Team Ttalgwi and Team Sukka, locked in fierce battle.
But Ttalgwi couldn't welcome the viewers taking her side.
After all, they were defending her by naturally tearing Sukka down.
It looked like pouring oil on a forest fire, so she had no choice but to block even her loyal fans to manage the chat.
Of course, she knew why the viewers were bashing Sukka.
A post on the community site claiming "Sukka faked it to steal Ttalgwi's viewers" had gone up, so viewers who missed last night's stream were doubting Sukka's actions.
But as the person involved, she couldn't just sit by while arrows flew at Sukka.
Anyone could see Sukka's actions last night weren't acting, and it was true that she'd cornered an innocent girl.
[Sukka is now online.]
At that moment, a notification popped up like a lifeline from the heavens.
The friend request she'd sent had been accepted, showing Sukka's online status.
Ttalgwi clamped her mouth shut to stifle a cheer.
The viewers going wild at the sight was a given.
『Sukka appears!!!!!!!』
『She's alive!』
『Speak of the devil lololol』
『Quick, spam the chat lololol』
『We've made this much noise, even the mountain god would show up lolol』
『Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!! Nude dogeza go!!』
┗ Chat blocked and deleted.
Ttalgwi ended her ongoing game and switched to PC mode.
Soon, the VR lid opened, and the stream switched to standard cam view.
With her sleek blonde hair tied up, she grabbed her keyboard right away.
Her heart pounded at the reunion she'd waited for even while dozing off.
"S-send chat?!"
Since the friend request was accepted, there was a good chance of a response.
But not knowing when she might log out again, she had to hurry.
Ttalgwi immediately requested a 1:1 chat and sent a message.
She started the conversation with a light greeting.
[Ttalgwi: Sukka-nim! Hello!]
[Sukka: Hello.]
A brief moment passed before the reply came.
Ttalgwi, whose mouth had gone dry, finally exhaled in relief.
A quick glance at the chat showed viewers demanding to see the conversation.
So she sent another message to Sukka.
[Ttalgwi: Thank you for accepting the friend request! Would it be okay to show our chat on stream?]
[Sukka: On stream?]
[Ttalgwi: Yes! If it's uncomfortable, I won't show it on stream!]
[Sukka: I'm fine with it. You can show it.]
[Ttalgwi: Thank you!]
Fortunately, Sukka didn't seem to mind the stream.
Soon, the 1:1 chat appeared on the broadcast screen, and the viewer chat exploded.
Now was the time to properly apologize.
Ttalgwi carefully tapped the keyboard, expressing her guilt.
[Ttalgwi: First off, I'm truly, truly sorry. I think I was rude to you, Sukka-nim. The one who attacked you in the game yesterday was me...]
[Sukka: It's okay. It's natural to fight each other on the battlefield. It was my fault for jumping into the game without any prep anyway.]
[Ttalgwi: Plus, I suspected you of sniping and cheating and went after you... I'm sorry if that caused you trouble...]
[Sukka: I never watched your stream or used cheats. And I didn't really suffer any damage, so it's fine. You don't need to apologize, Ttalgwi-nim.]
So kind. Too kind.
Ttalgwi's chest swelled at Sukka's forgiving words.
But the world is wide, and malicious viewers are plentiful.
Not everyone grasped Sukka's kind heart, and demons lurking in the broadcast started raising their voices.
[User ㅇㅇ sponsored 1,000 coins!]
〔But if she wasn't a sniper, how'd she handle the grenade?〕
『Fr, I'm curious how she did it too』
『Unless she knew in advance, seems tough......』
『Maybe Ttalgwi just missed the throw?』
[User ㅇㅇ sponsored 1,000 coins!]
〔Are you spec ops by any chance? Your movements were too mechanical.〕
『Just words won't convince anyone.』
『Can't crazies snipe? Can't crazies cheat?』
『She faked the panic attack from the start lololol, doesn't she know VR has safety features lolololol』
Ttalgwi grimaced at the throbbing headache.
But the malicious viewers didn't care about the streamer's reaction.
If she didn't wrap this up decisively here, those demon-like creeps would hound Sukka endlessly.
Thinking that, as the one who'd exposed Sukka to the world, Ttalgwi had to step up.
[Ttalgwi: Sukka-nim. If it's not rude, can I ask about the play I saw yesterday? I don't think so, but there are still bad people doubting you.]
[Sukka: Sure. It's okay.]
[Ttalgwi: First, what happened with the grenade I threw? Explaining that alone might clear up the sniper suspicions...]
Ttalgwi waited expectantly for a straightforward explanation.
And after a moment, a fairly long reply came after a pause.
[Sukka: A grenade just rolled right in front of me, so I picked it up and threw it back. Throwing a grenade like you did is basically begging to be killed. If one of my squadmates had done that, I might've chewed them out big time. If they survived that long, anyway. And when entering a hallway, watch the shadows. If there's light behind, they stretch out long. If you see a shadow, your position's given away. That's how I could throw the grenade right back—saw the shadow.]
"Uh......"
[Sukka: Grenades don't have the lethality you might expect. Sure, direct hit means instant death, but even a little distance and you might survive a bit. So after it explodes, you need to be ready to shoot right away. If you'd kept eyes on me the whole time, the outcome might've been different.]
"Hmm......"
[Sukka: And charging in just because you spotted the enemy's position was a mistake too. Staying isolated means they're prepared. Plus, your entry positioning was off. Someone couldn't shoot because lines of fire overlapped, right? That's the kind of move that deserves friendly fire. You should reflect on that.]
"......"
Ttalgwi couldn't hide her bewilderment reading Sukka's chat.
She'd asked for an explanation to help clear things up, but somehow she was the one getting scolded.
Of course, she wasn't the only one thinking that—the chat had gotten noisy too.
Not all doubting chats were gone, but most were agreeing with Sukka and teasing Ttalgwi.
『lololol she just straight-up suck and got called out lololololol』
『Sukka, just give up lolol we tell her every time and she never gets it lolol』
『Facts slapping her feels so good lolololol』
『Turns out she's not crazy, just a solo queue noob ddd』
『Didn't she say Frontline Archive newbie? No way she's actually spec ops?』
『lolololol legal coaching right there』
[User ㅇㅇ sponsored 1,000 coins!]
〔Facts: That's facts〕
"You idiots! It's not that I suck, it's that Sukka-nim is too good! She's so good you all suspected her of cheating too!"
『Cheater or sniper aside, she's right ㅇㅇ』
『So Ttalgwi sucks, Sukka's pro, synergy effect or whatever......』
『Where'd yesterday's squadmates go lololol they need a scolding too lololol』
『But what good are words? Does that explain it?』
『Talking shit about grenade lethality ddd』
『lololol the ones who didn't watch yesterday don't even get it huh』
"Majors and below, no backseat gaming! You'd die the same in that spot!"
Ttalgwi bickered with viewers, her face flushing red.
But the once-ignited chat showed no signs of cooling.
And Sukka's pointers didn't end there.
Gaining confidence from the back-and-forth chat, the somehow more assertive Sukka made an unexpected proposal.
[Sukka: Hard to explain in text. Know any chill healing games? I can show you how to survive.]
[Ttalgwi: Yes!!!!]
At the sudden duo invite, Ttalgwi replied without hesitation.
Sukka was just a bit mentally shaky; her skills were beyond doubt.
Unable to hide her excitement, she switched straight to VR mode.
Learn from Sukka, shut up the viewers—one satisfying thought made her lips twitch.
'Teaching in a healing game means FPS scares her, right?'
If all went well, it could quash the controversy about faking the panic.
Ttalgwi burned with a sense of mission, thinking she could help vindicate Sukka.