Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: My Little Island
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The game Ttalgwi recommended, My Little Island.
Shortened to "Maria," it was a game where you cultivated your own island in virtual reality for some healing.
You could enjoy a leisurely solo camping life or run a farm and feel a sense of accomplishment.
It was truly a treasure in the VR world that had managed to preserve its innocence.
"Wow."
I couldn't help but gasp in admiration after entering Maria's world.
The blue sky, vast fields, and cozy cabin. Seeing the background that had now become my little island brought a smile to my face.
Of course, before starting the game, I'd been worried again about whether I'd get possessed once more.
But with this scenery more appealing than the reality before my eyes, I felt reassured, thinking even if I got possessed here, it wouldn't be so bad.
『You okay?』
At that moment, a chat message popped up in the corner of my vision.
It was from Shin Ara, who'd come to watch my stream even while on duty.
I nodded to show her everything was fine.
The game was peaceful, and someone was watching over me from reality, so I had no reason to be scared right now.
"Sukkaniim!!"
As I was basking in the healing vibes, I spotted what seemed to be Ttalgwi in the distance.
Was boating the invitation system in Maria? She was aboard a small fishing boat, waving her hand.
Seeing Ttalgwi's bright, cheerful expression naturally brought back our previous conversation.
I'd been arrogant because I couldn't see her face, criticizing her play and spouting harsh words.
Looking back now, I had no idea where that confidence came from.
An inexplicable embarrassment made my face heat up.
"Sukka-nim! Hello! It's me, Ttalgwi!"
"Ah, yes... hello..."
Soon, Ttalgwi climbed the hill and walked up to the cabin.
I greeted her with a bashful nod and a timid demeanor.
Seeing me like that, a worried expression floated onto Ttalgwi's face.
She crouched down in front of me, looking up as she spoke.
"You're really okay, right? Like yesterday, getting short of breath or anything...?"
"Ah, no. I'm fine today. The chat's visible too, so nothing like yesterday should happen."
"The chat?"
"Ah... Someone like a mom to me is watching the stream. She said she'd rush over if anything happens. So it'll be fine."
At my answer, Ttalgwi glanced to the side before nodding.
She must have seen the viewers' chat and confirmed I was doing a private stream.
In the meantime, I glanced over at the chat window where Shin Ara was.
My stream had only one viewer, Kukudas, but she was flooding the chat single-handedly.
『That's Ttalgwi, huh.』
『She said she streams with her bare-faced character, no customization?』
『I'm not old enough to be called mom yet! At least call me unnie!』
"Unnie?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Ah, no... I misspoke."
"Hehe. You can call me unnie if you want."
『This fox of a woman! She was talking to me!』
『Victoria! You meant me, right? Not her? Right?』
『I was gonna buy samgyeopsal for dinner tonight! If you don't call me unnie, I'll switch it to pork collar!』
"......"
I tried to hold it in, but I ended up looking away from Shin Ara's chats.
Getting tricked by samgyeopsal into calling her unnie was worse than just eating pork collar.
And sorry to Shin Ara, but I loved pork collar too.
She was all about feeding me from the start, so her negotiation material was off-base.
'Bare-faced?'
Pulling my eyes from the chat, Ttalgwi's appearance caught my attention.
Her uncustomized character was indeed pretty enough to draw fans.
Big eyes, long blonde hair, and a slender, toned figure.
Her lively personality matched, giving off a foxy vibe just like Shin Ara said.
A fox being a predator of Ttalgwi was ironic somehow.
I shook my head to dispel the random thought, as it felt rude.
"Wow... Without the camouflage cream, you look super cute for real."
"Huh? Me?"
Ttalgwi, who'd been staring blankly at me, let out an admiring comment.
While I'd been looking at her appearance, she'd been checking mine out too.
Feeling burdened for no reason, I averted my gaze from her.
I'd customized mine a bit, but only removing dark circles, so it was basically bare-faced too.
I didn't particularly want to hide my face, but getting compliments on my looks wasn't something I was used to.
My face, which had just settled to normal temperature, heated up again.
"Next time you play Frontline Archive, turn off the camouflage cream setting. It doesn't help no matter how much you apply it."
"Ah, yes..."
"By the way, what percent customization did you do? If it's not rude, could you tell me?"
"Just... a little blemish removal..."
"Holy crap! Hear that, guys?! The ones saying she caked on customization, shut your traps from now on?!"
I flinched reflexively at her sudden shout.
Her viewers must have been arguing about my looks.
Feeling the awkward pressure, I hurried to find another topic.
Luckily, my original goal of "teaching Ttalgwi combat" came to mind right away.
"So... can we get to the main point now...?"
"Ah, yes! Please take care of me! I'll learn hard!"
"No gun, so maybe we should break off a tree branch or something."
"Hehe. Don't worry about that. That's why I recommended this game—because it has guns."
I gave her a puzzled look, wondering what she meant.
She dashed to the cabin and came back with an actual gun.
The long barrel and smooth wooden body looked so familiar.
I couldn't hide my surprised expression.
"Maria has a hunting system! No automatics, but there's a sniper rifle like this!"
"Ah."
"Ahh! S-sorry! Did I scare you?!"
"No. That gun's fine."
I carefully took the gun from Ttalgwi.
Then, with familiar movements, I inspected the bolt and other parts.
The rifle designed by Sergei Ivanovich Mosin, the weapon I'd used ad nauseam on the Eastern Front.
Its name was "Vintovka Mosina," or in modern terms, the "Mosin-Nagant."
"Y-you're really okay? I didn't mess up?"
"Yes. Mosin-Nagant is fine."
"Really?"
"This was the standard rifle of the old Russian... Soviet Union. And it's not the gun that's scary—it's war."
As I answered, I stroked the sturdy body of the Mosin-Nagant.
The barrel was smooth, the bolt glided softly—it was perfectly solid.
This had to be a brand-new Mosin-Nagant, one I hadn't even seen on the Eastern Front.
That certainty made me itch to fire it.
"Can I shoot it once?"
"Yes! It's your gun now, Sukka-nim!"
Nodding, I scanned around for a target.
True to the hunting system mention, various animals dotted the vast fields.
I picked the fast-moving ones among them.
A rabbit sprinting wildly across the field, and a hawk diving to catch it. Aiming at those two, I raised the muzzle.
- Bang!
Without hesitation, I squeezed the trigger on my first target.
With that shot, the hawk plummeting toward the rabbit crashed down with a flurry of feathers.
- Bang!
I worked the bolt without pause and fired again.
This time, the rabbit, dodging the hawk and sprinting full tilt, tumbled dead.
"O."
Hitting both prey perfectly, I looked at the Mosin-Nagant in surprise.
It was right after our first meeting, but as a game, the zeroing was spot-on.
But as the gunpowder smell started rising, my mood soured.
Wrinkling my nose, I plugged it and handed the gun back to Ttalgwi.
"H-how did you do that?"
Ttalgwi, taking the gun, asked with eyes wide as a rabbit's.
I'd been about to retrieve the prey, but gave her a what-do-you-mean look.
She pointed at where the hawk fell, stammering something.
I waited, but she just kept fumbling, so I quietly moved to pick up the rabbit and hawk.
Even in a game, unnecessary killing wasn't right.
These guys had to become ingredients for my camping dishes.
"Guys! See that?! Still gonna suspect hacks?! That's in a healing game with no aim assist?! What?! You bastard! Hacks for healing games don't even sell! Who'd make something like that anyway!"
Soon, excited yells erupted behind me.
She and her viewers must have been debating my hunting.
I picked up the rabbit and hawk, quietly waiting for their argument to end.
I didn't care much if they suspected me of hacking, but I was grateful a famous streamer was fighting for me.
"You punk! Who just said 'Hmm... about that level?' Huh?! Can you hunt a rabbit and eagle in 2 seconds?!"
"It was a hawk, not an eagle."
"Ah! A hawk?! That's even faster! Anyone who can do that, step up! Even a legendary sniper couldn't!"
Hmm... about that level?
Comrades Lyudmila and Vasily could do it in their sleep.
"Ugh! So frustrating! Sukka-nim! Can't you just say it clearly?"
"Uh, say what? Anyone could do that..."
"Why you're so good at fighting! There has to be a reason!"
"Ah."
I put some distance between me and the fired-up Ttalgwi.
She apologized in a fluster, looking sorry, but I hadn't backed away out of fear, so it was fine.
I pondered how to answer her question.
I had no intention of hiding that I'd been possessed in games, but no one would believe the truth anyway.
My head started aching with no excuse coming to mind.
As I opened my mouth in resignation, my reliable comrade Shin Ara unleashed a barrage of chats.
『Russia was at war until a few years ago.』
『And the Eastern Front was between Russia and Germany, right?』
『Victoria fought in the Russian region, that's fact, so just say it vaguely?』
I wanted to slap my forehead, eyes widening.
I hated and feared war more than anyone, but I wasn't too proud to use the situation.
I quickly organized my thoughts and looked at Ttalgwi.
Then, without hiding the emotions from the battlefield, I quietly spoke.
"I've experienced war. In places like Kursk and Kyiv."
"R-really?"
"Yes. I fought to survive. Struggled not to die. Luckily, I made it back to Korea and saved my life. But my mind still hasn't come back from the battlefield, it seems."
"Ah... That's why FPS games scare you... S-sorry... For bringing up bad memories..."
"It's fine. You were trying to prove my innocence. Anything else you're curious about?"
"Then lastly... Just tell us why the VR safety device didn't work..."
"I checked because it bothered me too, and there was a warning light. Someone used it before me and handled it roughly, so it broke. But I don't resent them. Thanks to the broken safety, I can play games like this. With a normal device, I couldn't even log in."
"Ah... So it was broken... S-sorry for the rude question. And thanks for answering... Guys, hear that? If you suspect her again, you're dead meat?"
I'd cleared up the controversy about pretending to go crazy amid the chaos.
Of course, some wouldn't believe even this, but I couldn't make everyone an ally anyway, so no regrets.
Right now, I just felt down from recalling the past.
The sturdy Mosin-Nagant from moments ago looked scary, and the peaceful little island seemed dark.
Without someone watching, I'd have probably collapsed right there.
I hurriedly changed the subject to fend off the creeping PTSD.
"So, let's get to the main point."
"Huh? Main point?"
"Yes. I said I'd teach you how to survive."
"Ah!"
I led the hesitant Ttalgwi toward the cabin.
It wasn't her fault, but she was the only focus available, so no choice.
According to my old comrades, my training was notoriously harsh.
Unfortunately, with only one recruit this time, the intensity would ramp up a bit.
"Alright, training starts now."
Of the 150th Mechanized Rifle Division, Lieutenant Victoria Chernakoshka.
Past or present, I didn't want my recruit to die.