Chapter 179

“These guys… they wanted to bury our QBS, not just NoName.”

Breaking the unwritten rules comes with a price for the media.

The public? No, the ones attacking are actually media outlets on the same side.

The era where the public expresses opinions first has passed.

Media companies have created an environment where the public can throw stones, reminiscing about the past. Have they forgotten how many students were sacrificed in the media’s forced star-making?

About 30 years ago, there were countless boys and girls introduced in news or variety shows as ‘the second Ham Cha Rong’ or ‘the reappearance of Ham Cha Rong.’

However, these promising individuals (or rather, their parents) could not withstand the increasing pressure and continued to make rash moves.

They claimed to have solved world-famous problems, uncovered secrets of the magical world, or developed new drugs to cure incurable diseases.

Looking back now, those statements were utterly ridiculous, but at that time, the public had no choice but to believe them.

The media packaged the fake as truth, and listening to the interviews of bright-eyed children naturally instilled a sense of trust.

Eventually, everything was revealed to be a lie, and Korea faced an embarrassment that transcended national shame. Now whenever such articles are published, the public views them through colored glasses.

Therefore, articles reported by QBS these days are impossible to find, even if you scrub your eyes clean searching for them. This was what Jang Reporter had worried about when speaking with the editor-in-chief.

“It seems everyone thinks NoName didn’t directly prove it.”

They weren’t without reason.

As soon as QBS introduced this on News Talk Talk, they quickly began their investigation, producing interviews with professors from renowned institutions such as the University of Singapore, UC Berkeley, and Zurich University as supporting evidence.

They claimed it was impossible for a 14-year-old to have proven such a problem.

“It’s a bit funny, isn’t it?”

Name adjusted the microphone.

“I thought there would be more people trying to challenge the proof itself, so I prepared in various ways. So, let me turn the question around to the reporters. Is there anyone here who understands the proof I mentioned in the video?”

The echo of the microphone spread throughout the hall.

The hall was so quiet that the echo continued to resonate without interruption.

“Really, is there no one? Not a single person?”

Jang Reporter felt a bit pricked by her words.

QBS arrived unprepared, just the same.

A sigh escaped from the small child’s lips.

“Let’s first clarify the age.”

The image displayed on the beam projector.

Name immediately accessed the internet and clicked on VTube.

She logged out of her account and logged back in with her own ID.

Then she clicked on the video titled “World of Arceria Nightmare Clear” uploaded on ‘NoName Official,’ which filled the screen with a black background and emitted a warning sound.

[This video is not for viewers under 15 without parental consent.]

“I think that should be enough for you to understand. The age is taken care of. What else? You think it’s not just one person?”

Holding the microphone, which seemed hard to lift with one hand, she reverently grasped it with both hands and stepped down from the podium.

She approached the reporter who had asked sharp questions earlier, sitting next to Jang Reporter, and spoke.

“On the last day of the competition, I promise to show you my true self in reality, not in virtual reality. Of course, by then, I won’t invite all of you reporters to one place either.”

Seeing a man squint at her, Name scoffed as if it were ridiculous.

Jang Reporter watched this and couldn’t help but giggle, thinking she was really not acting like a child.

“Do you have a question too?”

“Oh, questions, questions…! Wait a moment, can you pass me your tablet, Ah-young?”

“Oh, sure! Here you go!”

“Let’s see here.”

The QBS 3 channel was being streamed live on VTube.

Their prepared questions had all been exhausted, and it was time to ask what the viewers were curious about.

“No questions?”

“Uh, well…”

Jang Reporter scratched his head awkwardly.

-D Cup! D Cup! D Cup! D Cup! D Cup! D Cup!

-Please ask about the three sizes!

-The comments are so chaotic, aren’t they managing this?

-Show us, NoName! If you’re someone who inherits the will of D, show us the future of this era!!!

-What do you mean height 168, this can’t be realㅠㅠㅠ The NoName I know isn’t like this, boo hoo…

-Muhihyuro goodㅋㅋㅋ

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ But can a middle schooler get a tattoo? Isn’t that illegal?

-Is it true that you have a tattoo on your pelvis?

-Did you dye your hair? If so, it must be blonde, right?

└ Is it really Geum Tae Yang?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Where do you get this info from?

└ Kariri is live, this is way more informative ㅇㅇ

-Ask if we can see her feet when she stands straight!!!

-Also check if her elbows touch when she brings her arms togetherㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

‘What the hell, this is crazy…’

“It seems like we have nothing. Good luck, NoName… I’ll support you in the competition too.”

Jang Reporter slumped his shoulders.

“Ah, thank you for the kind words. Same to you.”

“Oh, I thought of one! Could you share your goals and determination for this competition?”

Name rolled her eyes, thought for a moment, and provide a satisfying answer.

“Jin In Sa Dae Cheon Myeong.”

* * *

Seviron Foundation, 2nd Grade A Class homeroom teacher, Jacqueline A. Carol.

She was confident that the NoName featured in the news was indeed her student, ‘Name.’

However, that confident look in her eyes was now shaken with doubt.

[To put it literally, they have completed 50,000 rounds from Season 44 to Season 50.]

“Name was born in 43… but the game record is from 44…”

It didn’t add up.

After digging through the community, she found three or four more posts.

To dismiss someone who had played LoL for seven years as merely ‘NoName’ seemed impossible as the nickname they currently use in the LoL tournament was also the same.

Jacqueline checked to see if the nickname could overlap or if someone else could be using the account, but none of her hypotheses were met with satisfactory evidence.

Meanwhile, NoName’s press conference was being streamed live.

“Could it really be someone else? Just a coincidence with similar avatars…? No, as the director said, the speaking style is completely identical.”

It was illegal and nearly impossible to impersonate someone else using an avatar, but customizing to look similar was always an option.

So even a few people from the Seviron Foundation who knew Name were uncertain, as Kim Yong Seong, the director, had conveyed.

On the other hand, Kim Yong Seong was convinced that NoName was indeed Name. However, NoName claimed to be 14 years old.

One side must be lying. No, even if Name were to somehow prove she was truly 14, the contradictions remained significant.

[I’m a viewer who watches NoName’s broadcasts regularly! Are you considering challenging to go pro?]

The once serious atmosphere of the press room had transformed into a lively spot similar to a fan meeting.

The invited individuals were not just from the media.

Ten professional LoL teams and 18 professional MOA teams. Individual Vtubers with subscriber counts in the hundreds of thousands and millions, and people dispatched from universities.

Under the pretext of wanting to uncover the truth, they crowded out reporters who had put pressure on NoName.

[Why play LoL when NoName is on the brink of failing? Can you give them a salary of 1 billion?]

[What, 1 billion? We can pump up to 5 billion for promising rookies. Are you confident?]

The actual party involved seemed oblivious to all the squabbling of the officials gulping down kimchi soup in advance.

[NoName, seeing you up close, your avatar is so cute! Is there a reason you chose this avatar?]

Taking this opportunity, those who had jumped onto the stage began to ask.

Name’s face filled the screen.

Always maintaining a poised demeanor, a slight smile began to form on the expression of the emotionless girl.

[It’s a gift from someone very precious to me.]

[A precious person? Both the MOA avatar and the main avatar look of high quality, so they must work in the VR industry, right?]

[No, it’s not that… You will know soon enough. So please support me in the competition as well. Streamers like me thrive on your interest.]

* * *

[Starting the stream: 0:00:01 – NoName]

“What’s all this decoration for?”

“Hehe, you better win! I won’t forgive you if you lose!”

The private room was filled with balloons and banners plastered on the walls.

These decorations were arranged by Adella after a sleepless night of thought.

Before the tournament room opened, she decided to turn on the broadcast and greet the viewers she had missed for a while.

Settling into the comfortable chair, she swayed back and forth. The beat of the lively audio played from the speaker right next to her.

[The challenge is about to begin!]

[It probably won’t be easy!]

“What’s this song?”

“You won’t know even if I tell you, unnie!”

“That is true.”

Though Adella’s song choice wasn’t to her taste, she decided to respect her intentions just for today.

[World of Arceria – Jin In Sa Dae Cheon Myeong]

[Broadcast Time – 0:01:53]

[Number of Viewers – 4081]

“Did a lot join?”

It seemed about two minutes had passed, so it was her turn to speak.

“I’m competing in two tournaments, so I worked hard not to neglect either.”

Especially this past week had been a series of intense activities.

“I hope the results match the effort I’ve put in.”

Jin In Sa Dae Cheon Myeong.

Doing all one can do and leaving the results to the heavens.

It was also my favorite saying.

When one relinquishes excessive attachment to outcomes, paradoxically, they can achieve the best efficiency.

I thought I had done as much as I could.

[msg: Please enter the DeBlory team!]

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

[World of Arceria]

[WareSoft]

[May the blessing of the world tree be upon you.]