Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Not a Self-Deprecating Broadcast
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It had been ages since I'd gotten a proper night's sleep.
Unlike last time, when I'd cried myself to exhaustion, this time my body and mind were both completely at ease.
The dark circles under my eyes hadn't faded, but the fatigue had been thoroughly washed away.
I felt like I could go two days without sleep and still be fine.
Unfortunately, Shin Ara ended up being late.
Her expression looked happier than ever, but it was definitely because she'd tossed and turned all night over me.
When a girl shows up late wearing the exact same outfit as yesterday, people are bound to get the wrong idea.
The only thing I could do for Shin Ara's image was take a photo as proof that she hadn't slept with some guy.
Fortunately, Shin Ara was over the moon, saying, "This is the best gift ever!"
Seeing her humming a tune and genuinely delighted eased my guilt-ridden heart a little.
[Today, we're challenging full-scale battle.]
After seeing Shin Ara off like that, I immediately started the stream.
Probably because word had gotten out about the Red Pill last night, hundreds of viewers flooded in the moment I went live.
Sure enough, the chat was filled exclusively with talk about the Red Pill.
I waved to the viewers as I entered the Frontline Archive armory.
"Comrades, welcome. You showed up quick today, too."
『Suk- ha』
『Sukka!! The Red Pill about you leaked yesterday!!』
『Chernakoshka, hi?』
『No need to explain, but explain!!!!』
"Hmm... An explanation about the Red Pill? You really want to hear it?"
『What? Why's she suddenly acting all seductive?』
『Look at her flirting with the push-pull game lololol』
『lololol so cute』
『Explain with cam bang!!!!』
"What if it were someone else? It could be a customization based on that person as a model."
『Who'd believe that lolol』
『Just admit it already, why drag it out ㅜㅜ』
『It's obviously the same person!!!!』
『Fact: Even a plastic surgeon couldn't make that with custom』
"Hmm... You all seem really curious? In that case, I won't explain."
『You damn Sukka pussy!!!!』
『The Red Sukka won't be dyed by some Red Pill』
『Look at that smile lololol』
『Sukka's Red Pill lololol』
"Then let's start with yesterday's sponsor greetings since we couldn't get to them. We'll have to wait for the squadmates to arrive anyway."
『Aww why!!!!!』
『Hey! You're really not gonna explain?』
『If you do this, we'll misunderstand??』
『lololololol so freaking cute lol』
I smiled faintly and hopped up to sit on a crate of supplies.
This time, it felt like I was the one teasing the viewers, which put me in a pretty good mood.
I'd originally planned to admit the Red Pill right away, but seeing their reactions changed my mind.
Teasing them a bit like this and revealing it later didn't seem like a bad idea.
With that, I started reading sponsor messages while reviewing yesterday's broadcast logs.
Since I'd even pissed myself crying snot and tears, the sponsor messages were piled up at an all-time high.
With this much sponsorship money, I could treat Shin Ara to beef and still have plenty left.
If things went well this time, treating the squad to a meal didn't sound bad.
[Wardaddy: Heading in now. My crew's coming too, so get ready.]
Just then, Wardaddy messaged me privately that he was logging in.
He'd just told me to prepare, and now he was barging into the armory without giving me a second.
Behind the sunglasses-wearing ajeossi came three guys chatting as they walked.
They must be Wardaddy's tank crew.
"Kid, get some good sleep? Your face looks better."
"Ah, yeah. Haven't slept that well in ages. But it's that obvious?"
"Nah? I just said that 'cause your eyes aren't all puffy and dead-fish-like anymore."
"Ah... So you didn't sleep well, Ajeossi...."
"Good, good. Still got that edge to you today."
Wardaddy strode over and ruffled my hair in greeting.
He probably meant it as friendly, but it just made my head spin from all the shaking.
Soon, he grabbed my head and turned it to introduce his crew.
I had no choice but to face each one while trapped in his meaty grip.
"This here's Bible. Handles the gunner position."
"Ah, hi. I'm Sukka."
"That's Gordo. Driver."
"Nice to meet you, Gordo."
"And finally, Wild Boar. He's Luftwaffe right now, the Nazis you hate."
"......."
I greeted them one by one, eye to eye, but flinched at the last one.
The user called "Wild Boar," who was supposed to help with the Stuka test drive today, was wearing a German uniform.
Of course, I knew you had to wear German uniforms to ride the Stuka.
But the bone-deep enmity made my face scrunch up anyway.
Noticing my mood, Wild Boar shuffled forward awkwardly.
His face was the plump, kindly type, but my bad first impression just made him look like a pig.
"Sorry. Vehicle users gotta match the uniforms. Should've prepared something else ahead of time."
"No, no need to apologize. I get it."
"Thanks. Looking forward to today."
"Yeah, me too. But why the casual speech? Any special reason?"
"Ah! S-sorry. You feel like a little sister, so it slipped out...."
"Sorry I snapped back. Let's get along when we're allies."
"Y-yeah...."
Fortunately, he didn't seem like a bad guy.
I'd responded sharply without thinking, but his quick apology let me drop my guard.
In the meantime, viewers were giving him the weird nickname "Red Pig."
It reminded me of a certain Luftwaffe ace, which I didn't love, but since our active periods didn't overlap, I let it slide.
"Alright, intros done. Time to go shopping."
Just then, Wardaddy smirked and spoke up.
Patting my shoulder, it felt like he was saying, "Remember, I'm buying you a tank?"
Of course, I intended to keep my promise.
But I didn't want to be treated like a sugar baby, so I played dumb and tilted my head.
"Shopping?"
"Yeah. You promised to pick out a tank for me last time."
"Oh... Yeah, I guess I did."
"We'll train with it while you test drive the Stuka anyway. You've got time till Ghost and Ttalgwi show up."
"So Bible and Gordo are helping me out too?"
"Of course. Can't leave a newbie in charge or the turret'll fly off."
Wardaddy really seemed set on helping me to the best of his ability.
Honestly, I'd been prepared to load shells, so this unexpected thoughtfulness made my chest tighten.
With this much sincerity, I could forgive him for sticking me on that AA gun.
Thinking that, I hopped up, determined to get him the best tank.
"Alright. I'll buy you the coolest, strongest tank."
"What? That means Tiger, right? You switching to the Germans for real?"
"......."
"Kidding. Put the duck bill away."
We all headed into the tank garage.
We passed endless rows of military vehicles and went straight to the Soviet tanks without hesitation.
Light tanks, mediums, heavies, assault guns—every type familiar to me on display.
There were so many tanks it naturally brought Kursk to mind, but thankfully, my stomach just fluttered a bit without tipping into panic.
"What tank did you want to ride, Wardaddy? I'll take your opinion as tank commander into account as much as possible."
"Lend-Lease Sherman."
"Hmm... Too bad. Guess the game didn't model the US lend-lease ones. No Sherman in the Soviet tree."
"You blind? It's parked right there."
"......."
I ignored Wardaddy and turned my head away.
A Lend-Lease Sherman was indeed sitting there plain as day, but I had bad memories with Shermans.
I couldn't lose my precious comrades in front of a Tiger again.
If there'd been no choice like on the Eastern Front, fine—but with authority now, I wanted the toughest tank.
For the same reason, T-34s were off the table too.
Shermans went "boom boom boom," but T-34s shattered with a "crash."
"Pick one with great armor. I want a tank that can beat a Tiger."
"Beat a Tiger? Any Soviet tank like that?"
"Yeah, Stalin's tanks."
"Oh, the purge series?"
So the tank I chose was none other than the "IS-2."
Full name: "Iosif Stalin-2," a tough, powerful heavy tank produced by the Soviets in the mid-to-late war.
It had armor thick enough to rival the Tiger's, plus a 122mm gun that could punch through one.
Essentially built to hunt Tigers, it was the perfect choice right now.
The name wasn't great, but performance-wise, it was reliable.
Wardaddy and the crew didn't seem to mind, so I ran straight to the salesman NPC and declared my purchase.
"Welcome, Operator. Purchasing a tank?"
"Yes, I'd like an IS-2."
"Confirmed. Care to use the War Hero perk?"
"Huh? War Hero perk?"
"Yes. Not only a discount, but you can unlock special tanks."
"Oh...."
Intrigued, I glanced down at my chest.
The medal from the War Hero title gleamed under the lights.
The word "perk" awakened my gamer instincts dormant for four years.
I bombarded the NPC with questions, unable to hide my excitement.
"Is the perk one-time only?"
"No. As long as you have the title, you can use it any number of times."
"What's the special tank it unlocks?"
"In the Soviet tree, the IS-3."
"Uh... Doesn't ring a bell."
"Iosif Stalin-3 tank."
"Ah!"
I whipped around to Wardaddy and the crew in shock.
They gaped, stunned by the NPC's words.
Developed in WWII, but mass-produced only at war's end—the Soviets' strongest tank, one I'd only seen once at the victory parade.
"IS-3!"
Iosif Stalin-3, or IS-3 for short.
This was a tank I had to scrape every coin for.
"Kid! You gotta buy this one! It's like finding a Bumblebee in the junkyard!"
"Yeah! Buying it now! Wrap it up as a gift for Wardaddy!"
Wardaddy yelled excitedly too.
He knew tanks better than me, so he'd spotted the IS-3's brokenness instantly.
I looked up at the NPC to confirm the purchase.
But an unexpected roadblock popped up.
"Sorry, but War Hero perks can't be gifted to others."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Concern over proxy purchases. Thank you for understanding."
"Ah...."
Disappointed, I looked at Wardaddy.
He responded firmly, like it was no big deal.
"Gift's fine, but get that one if you can. We can share as squadmates anyway."
"B-but I promised to buy it for you...."
"I've got pride. You think I'd take something that pricey off you? Treat us to drinks later or something."
"Really? That's okay?"
"Sure."
His suggestion of drinks instead of a gift brought a smile to my face.
It showed he was looking out for Ttalgwi and Ghost too, not just himself.
Wardaddy really was considerate despite appearances.
Touched by his maturity, I bought the IS-3 without hesitation.
[Purchase complete. Equipment unlocked.]
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[Tank Unlocked / Iosif Stalin-3 Tank (Ио́сиф Ста́лин-Тва)]
And so our tank was decided: the IS-3.
Yesterday's sponsorship haul was wiped out, but it fueled my drive to stream hard, so it was all good.
My first tank bought with my own money deserved a special name.
Pointing at the tank rolling into the garage, I said to everyone,
"How about naming that tank 'Sutzka'?"
"Sutzka? What's that mean?"
"Just something like my nickname."
"Isn't that a double swear?"
Sutzka.
A mashup of "Stalin-3 tank" and my nickname "Sukka."
【User ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 coins!】
〔Sutzka (Суцка) : You bastard〕
Of course, it wasn't meant badly.
Just packed full of love-hate.