Chapter 29

I twirled my hair while staring at the monitor.

A murder mafia game played by high school students with special abilities. It was the game I had just finished.

It was incredibly fun, but there was one problem.

If this kept up, it would just be a rip-off of the *Danganronpa* series.

It was funny because I didn’t realize it while making it. When you’re creating something, it’s hard to see it from a third-party perspective.

Anyway, scrapped.

I grabbed a plum-flavored highball from the fridge and thought to myself.

Lately, none of the games I’ve been making have been satisfying. I’ve already lost count of how many I’ve scrapped like this.

The problem was that none of the ideas were sparking.

A slump?

The word “slump” is usually reserved for those who’ve achieved something, but I think I’ve earned at least the “sl” in “slump.”

I’ve shown results, after all.

**Title:** Fantasy Life (VR)

**Release:** 25 days ago

**Price:** 21,000 won

**Reviews:** 507

**Downloads:** 25,883

25,000 sales in 30 days after release?

That’s insane speed.

Streamers really are the best.

Bunny Run promoted it, and a big company did a single broadcast, and the sales skyrocketed like crazy.

[“Hey guys, try this. This game is definitely not easy!”]

It also helped that it sparked the competitive spirit of “I could do better than you.”

Thank you, GOAT streamer Ga Joon-sik.

And sorry.

I couldn’t watch, so I just donated anonymously.

I crossed my arms.

At least 100,000 sales would’ve been enough to walk around proudly as a game developer, but with this momentum, 100,000 was just around the corner.

Maybe because it was a game made by someone in the same industry, streamers were starting to try my game one by one.

Well, it’s probably more due to the influence of Ga Joon-sik, the industry’s number one.

Anyway, thanks to that, it surpassed 100,000… no, 300,000.

That’s the kind of success I’ve achieved.

I could cautiously use the word “slump” now.

There are many ways to overcome a slump.

Resetting goals, changing routines, positive thinking, consulting experts, exercising, talking with colleagues.

And rest.

I love game development, but I also love games just as much.

Actually, the order is reversed.

I loved games so much that I wanted to make them, not the other way around.

I guarantee it. Every game developer is a hardcore gamer. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to dive into this.

Thinking about all this, it seemed like I should play games to solve my slump.

I put on my VR headset and turned on the stream.

Now, it felt awkward to play games without streaming.

Viewers started pouring in quickly.

My average viewership is around 1,200. My debut stream hit 10,000, but that was a special case. Usually, it’s around 1,200 viewers.

So, now that it’s reached 1,000, the growth rate should start slowing down. I played the OST from the scrapped *Danganronpa*-like game and checked the viewer count.

2,000, 3,000, 4,000…

…4,000?

What’s going on?

This isn’t Bitcoin. I tilted my head in confusion at the skyrocketing viewer count.

It’s not even my debut stream today, so why is this happening?

A single donation cleared up my confusion.

<ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won>

-“Please tell Pape to stream.”

I understood immediately.

My stream had become a waiting room for Pape’s stream.

Since they were my friend’s viewers, I responded warmly.

“I’ll send a message.”

I copied the donation message and sent it to Pape.

The reply came: “You don’t have to respond to every single one. No, just block them.”

“He’s doing well. He’ll stream soon.”

After delivering Pape’s message, I started the game.

There are two types of gamers.

Those who play games to clear their minds, and those who study while playing games.

I’m the latter.

The kind of person who has to dig deep into the game.

When such people play competitive games, they usually get greedy for ranks.

It’s because of the reward mentality.

Of course, I’m not too obsessed with ranks, but I do have gamer pride.

You have to hit Challenger to say you’ve played *Eternal World*. Master rank doesn’t even count.

As soon as I made up my mind, I changed the stream title.

[“Aiming for Challenger”]

The viewers chuckled.

―――

“You’re Master 0 right now, and you’re aiming for Challenger? You’re not going to sleep for a week, huh?”

“If you maintain your current win rate, you’ll make it in a few days.”

“You’re already in the high ranks, how are you going to maintain that win rate?”

―――

The common folk mock those who dare to challenge.

But I won’t be discouraged.

“Laugh all you want. I’ll prove it.”

―――

“We’re not laughing, we’re worried, you lunatic.”

―――

The game started.

I tried to pick Thierry as usual… but I was stunned.

She was banned.

This was the first time I’d experienced this in *Eternal World*.

―――

“Why is Thierry banned?”

“I want to kill that sniper bastard lol.”

―――

Snipers. They’re like the fate of streamers.

If the Joker has Batman, streamers have snipers.

I checked the ban position to find my Batman. The enemy second pick had banned Thierry. The character they picked was the main carry.

Hmm.

So, the play I need to make is decided now.

[Food… meat…]

I picked the ogre half-blood character, ‘Ormal.’

I’m on my way to meet them now.

*

Gundo Mul, a Master-tier gamer, was a famous sniper player. He was so notorious for sniping streamers that some streamers would say, “Is this kid for real?”

At first glance, his actions don’t make much sense. For example, in games like *League of Legends*, where you can make money through sniping due to win-loss betting, it’s logically understandable. Even if it’s not emotionally understandable.

But in *Eternal World*, there’s no win-loss betting. The game company, Novella, has completely eliminated it. So, Gundo Mul snipes without any benefit… Whether it’s a weekday or weekend, he’s obsessed with sniping. If an ordinary person saw him, they’d naturally wonder, “Why?”

It’s because they’ve never met the “real ones.”

The real ones don’t care about that stuff.

Profit? Loss? If they cared about that, they would’ve lived honestly from the start.

They just do it.

Just because sniping is fun.

Because it’s fun to make streamers annoyed.

With that mindset, Gundo Mul sniped Han Yoorim.

A Thierry one-trick player. Harassing these kinds of people is simple.

Just ban their character.

As expected, when he banned her, Han Yoorim panicked. The viewers getting angry was just a bonus.

This is why sniping never stops.

After a moment of hesitation, Han Yoorim picked ‘Ormal.’

Gundo Mul laughed.

Ormal is a character who’s only strong in the early game, unlike the City Core, and is usually picked by players who lack confidence in their skills.

“As expected, her proficiency with other champs is terrible.”

“Picking a character that barely requires any skill? This game is already won.”

In Master tier, picking a character you’re not proficient with is basically a death sentence.

This is why one-trick streamers are so fun.

Just ban their character, and they crumble on their own.

Even if the streamer gets mad and starts questioning, you can just say you banned it because you didn’t like the character. Then the streamer looks like the fool.

“Who told you to one-trick?”

“If you’re upset, you should’ve practiced more characters.”

The game started.

Gundo Mul, along with the support, took objectives and leveled up, but then he frowned.

Han Yoorim’s movements were strange.

“Main carry stalking strategy?”

It was the strategy she used against Pape.

“So that’s why she picked Ormal? How simple.”

Pape lost because he didn’t anticipate Han Yoorim’s playstyle.

But if you already know it from watching her stream, countering it is easy.

Gundo Mul (Main Carry): “Enemy core is coming to me. Anyone free, gather here.”

All he had to do was call any available allies to his location.

After seeing Gundo Mul’s chat, the Guardian and City Core gathered in the mid-city area.

The enemy had a City Core and two Scouts, while his team had four. The numbers were in their favor. It’d be hard to lose even if they tried.

Gundo Mul smirked as he waited for Han Yoorim.

From watching the stream, he knew Han Yoorim was nearby.

Counting the delay, it’d be 3, 2, 1.

Han Yoorim appeared with a Scout.

The enemy Scout panicked. They’d finally found the main carry, but there were four of them. It was understandable.

“Well, Han Yoorim. What are you gonna do now?”

“You can’t run. I already placed a Guardian on your escape route—”

Han Yoorim charged forward.

Quickly, the allied City Core and Support used their skills, but they all missed.

As soon as she closed the distance, Han Yoorim roared and smashed the Support’s head with a giant club.

After disposing of the shattered Support like trash, Han Yoorim destroyed the City Core, who was summoning an ice eagle.

All of that took 8 seconds.

Gundo Mul stared in shock.

“What did I just witness?”

“Since when was Ormal this good at breaking through?”

Thud. Han Yoorim approached.

The giant ogre half-blood looked down at Gundo Mul. The Guardian had already fled long ago.

Han Yoorim spoke.

“Have you played my game?”

In-game voice. One of the features supported in *Eternal World*, usually used to taunt enemies.

For a moment, Gundo Mul didn’t understand her words.

“Played your game?”

“Guess not. You’re not a true fan.”

“Wait. *Excel Busters*? Of course, I’ve played it. I’ve even watched—”

Crash.

Han Yoorim swung her club.

As the screen turned gray, Gundo Mul shouted in frustration.

“If you were gonna do this, why’d you ask if I played your game?!”

No answer came back.