Ch. 14

Don’t Post It On NewTube!!

***

[Han-ah, you’re so pitiful…]

[Wait, is that girl moving like she’s dancing? Is that also a skill?]

[For real, Rin unni! Your character is so pretty!! Please share the Karma with us.]

[Isn’t that sociopathic? She was laughing while dancing, right?]

[Doesn’t it seem like you should stop her? She looks so anxious.]

I checked the chat and noticed that the controversy about me being a hacker had mostly subsided, more than I had expected.

Most of the messages expressed concern for Han-ah’s well-being, followed by curiosity about me and my skills.

‘I don’t think I ever chatted this much before.’

The messages scrolled so fast that I could hardly keep up with them.

I glanced at the chat and noticed that there were still some accusations of me being a hacker, but they seemed less important now.

It seemed that people had already labeled me as a hacker in their minds. Even if I said anything or showed my skills, they wouldn’t believe me.

People tended to see only what they wanted to see. And I was no exception.

Once people made up their minds, they needed solid evidence to change them.

I wondered if I should contact the game company to confirm that I wasn’t using hacks, but then I sighed.

“Ugh… Get out of here!!”

Han-ah, still sitting on the ground, trembled as if she was scared, her voice barely audible.

Her swords lay scattered on the ground, and she seemed unable to continue the fight, curling up and shaking.

It didn’t look like a duel anymore, or even a normal situation.

‘…Was I too harsh?’

Seeing Han-ah like that, I realized again that this wasn’t the world of Dark Ark.

There were no mercenaries walking through the city with fierce eyes, no harsh environments.

The meager strength that flowed through my body now felt too weak compared to the infinite power I once had.

Yes, this was just a game.

As I thought about it, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

‘What am I doing, seriously.’

In the end, I realized that I had done something as despicable as targeting an ordinary person.

Like scavengers in that world, preying on the weak, I realized I had done something similar to exploiting someone powerless.

Even now, I couldn’t forget the fear and trembling on Han-ah’s face that I had seen.

Her hands shaking, her body quivering – even though it was just a game, being controlled by someone else must have been a terrible feeling.

Yes, even Han-ah, the streamer in front of me, was ultimately just a regular user who enjoyed playing the game.

Not one of the mercenaries who walked through the city with fierce eyes, not someone who faced the dangers of monsters every day.

Just an ordinary person enjoying a game.

With that realization, I slowly unequipped my weapon, the Crescent Moon Flail, and cautiously spoke to Han-ah.

“Han-ah… I didn’t do it on purpose. If I caused you great distress… I truly apologize. I only wanted to prove that I wasn’t using hacks, but… I guess it wasn’t a good feeling?”

“Uh, um… Yeah?”

Taken aback by my sudden change in tone, Han-ah, still dazed, looked at me with a blank expression.

I felt my body move as if it were not my own, the fear rising in my chest as I moved in directions I didn’t intend. As I became aware of these sensations, Han-ah slowly regained her composure.

‘What’s the real me, anyway?’

The silver-haired woman’s cold smile and dancing movements had vanished, replaced by a more serious expression as she apologized.

Han-ah, still shivering slightly, grabbed her trembling arm with her other hand and tried to steady herself.

“Oh, no… Rin, you were truly amazing with your skills!”

But even Han-ah’s voice quivered, betraying her emotions.

“If I stay longer, you might feel uncomfortable, so I’ll stop here. And I apologize for the aggressive chat messages during the broadcast… I think I was too harsh.”

“Yes, yes! Um… Then, please go ahead.”

With a brief exchange, Rin disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the colosseum.

*******

“……”

Like a person sifting through the debris left by a storm, Han-ah silently picked up her swords and stored them in her inventory.

‘Ah.’

Suddenly, she remembered that she was still live streaming.

“Oh, shit.”

She cursed involuntarily, then quickly checked the chat.

Han-ah gripped her head.

Her long black hair fell around her, blocking her vision, but more than that, Han-ah was filled with deep self-loathing.

“Aaagh! I don’t know, I don’t know! And if someone uploads this to NewTube, I’ll really kill them. Didn’t I tell them not to upload it?! I said it, didn’t I?! Really?! I said it!!”

She kept repeating, knowing full well that her words were meaningless and futile, but Han-ah, understood better than anyone else.

Yet, right now, it was too hard to bear that self-loathing without screaming.

The duel that had just happened, or rather, the humiliation she had endured, would probably spread on NewTube within the next 30 minutes.

Even if she tried to adjust her expression now, it was too late and useless.

[Hahaha Already on NewTube]

[Han-a looks like she’s about to cry and scream, scaredy cat]

[Uh, go away! Go away!]

[Seriously, those jerks hahah]

[The ones who were worried and chatting until just now, are they for real?Lol]

[It was funny hahaha It’s a masterpiece to scream ‘go away’ while shaking Hahaha]

“…I don’t know, really.”

Han-ah screamed in terror, answered with a stunned expression. Whether she had fought back or not, she didn’t know.

Thinking that all of her embarrassing antics would quickly spread on NewTube, she couldn’t help but burst into hollow laughter.

Everything she had worked for, her image, her belief that she was one of the skilled streamers among Yes Streamers, it all went down the drain.

Then, suddenly, she noticed the viewer count next to the chat.

– 64,142 viewers.

“Damn, this is unbelievable.”

Whether the rumors about that user named Rin had spread everywhere, it was truly an unexpected viewer count.

No, 64,000 viewers. That’s a viewer count even the woman called ‘Crazy B*tch’ hadn’t reached.

As she checked the viewer count, Han-ah, still laughing as if she had lost her mind, suddenly began to throw various items from her inventory onto the colosseum floor.

Thud. 

Plop. 

Clang.

As various objects collided and made noises in the colosseum, echoing along with Han-ah’s loud voice that reverberated.

“I-I don’t know!! Really!! All you viewers can just die!!”

She yelled with a voice filled with frustration, continuing to throw objects and thrash around.

Her actions, driven by anger, strangely entertained the viewers watching the broadcast.

[Hahaha]

[Uh! Go away!]

[If you’re angry, blame the viewers~ Who told you to be a streamer hahaha]

[True Lol]

[All you viewers can go away~~]

She kept throwing items as if in a frenzy, but her behavior only amused the viewers more.

Along with the rising chat, she suddenly muttered in a hoarse voice after some time had passed.

“…If the NewTube editors are watching, edit the video quickly and upload it. Don’t let someone else have a good time.”

She couldn’t stand the idea of someone else profiting from her video.

She knew she couldn’t stop the video from being uploaded, but the thought of someone else making money from her humiliation made her grind her teeth.

She wouldn’t stop at just finding and reporting every video herself; she would make sure that no one could even dream of making a profit from them.

—

Familiar sensations enveloped me again as my vision faded to dark.

—

“…I’m tired.”

Han Serin rose from the Another World capsule, feeling her body weighed down.

She had played the game for about five hours, browsed the internet, and then played the game again. There wasn’t much physical movement, but the mental strain was significant.

She had just exposed her soul to 20,000 viewers.

And speaking to them consciously had drained her more than she had expected.

She loosely tied the silver hairband that covered her forehead to the PC nearby. She styled her hair into a ponytail, and a fleeting smirk escaped her as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

The reflection of the woman with the silver headband felt oddly unfamiliar to her. Despite being so familiar, there was something about this familiarity that felt strange. How could she even begin to express this feeling?

Unlike the days when she roamed the Dark Ark world in various gear, now she stood vulnerable in nothing but a plain white t-shirt, feeling alien to herself.

“…Seriously, why didn’t I just make myself a male character?”

If she had known she would end up living as a game character, she would have made herself into a handsome male character. 

Maybe then, she wouldn’t resent this world so much, even if she ended up in this incomprehensible place.

“Ugh, what am I even thinking now.”

She muttered softly, and threw herself onto the large bed.

Swoosh.

The sensation of being enveloped in softness was incredibly comforting. 

She buried herself in the bed, and slowly wrapped the blanket around her, relishing the coziness.

Despite everything, the feeling of this moment wasn’t all that bad. With a faint smile, she surrendered herself to sleep.