『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』
『Died again, huh?』
『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL Hey, this game seriously sucks LOLOLOL』
About 30 minutes into starting *The Rogue’s Return*, Lee Yena, like many other broadcasters, was repeatedly dying and getting hurt while being tossed around by the game that kept throwing unfair challenges at her.
She stumbled around and tripped over a rock, resulting in death. She fell while trying to pick up a branch, only to be killed by a wild boar that appeared just then. She slipped and drowned in a river while trying to quench her thirst but couldn’t get back up in time.
Watching the rogue die in all sorts of ways, the viewers laughed heartily.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if many held out hope that this game would finally be the hero that tears apart that damned duct tape.
『Why did you die just now??』
『Man, this is the first game I’ve seen where you die for not taking a dump LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』
『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL Hey GetDevoured, just turn on the camera and do a dogeza』
『But she’s getting better at it, lol』
『30 minutes until the cam is on~ 30 minutes until the cam is on~ 30 minutes until the cam is on~ 30 minutes until the cam is on~』
Then, as she faced her fourth death for failing to manage her toilet parameter, the chat exploded into a celebration.
The dark void that occupied the right corner of the screen was eagerly anticipated to transform into a view of Lee Yena’s face. It was a scene of sheer madness.
However-
-ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won!-
【Man, you don’t have to be good at this crappy game…】
Barely an hour had passed. By this time, she seemed to have adapted to the game’s bizarre controls and had started running around and even engaging in battles adeptly.
The viewers could only sigh and cry in unison, lamenting that this crazy woman would persist and eventually clear even this terrible game. The donations reflected their collective sentiment, resonating mournfully.
No one knew then that this hopeful thought was far from reality.
* * * *
『Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: How long is the playtime for The Rogue’s Return?』
『She can’t be serious about clearing this, right?
Please tell me it takes more than 30 hours』
– It takes about 2 hours for speedrunners
– ㄴ really?? Then why did you recommend this game, damn it
– ㄴㄴ speedrunning is crazy. It usually takes about 10 hours before people give up
– ㄴㄴ even the crazy speedrunners using bugs take 2 hours
『Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: This Game is Really F’ing Terrible LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』
『I was confused if it was well-made or just terrible, but when I saw the character die from an infection because they didn’t wash their pants covered in poop, I was convinced.
This is just a f**king terrible game.』
– What are you talking about?
– It’s GetDevoured, isn’t it?
– Oh… How old are you?
– Blocked you. Seriously, damn it.
– It’s just a game where you experience how easily a person can die in the wild, really.
– That’s true, really.
『Author: ㅇㅇ
『Title: This is Definitely Broadcaast-Worthy』
『As expected from the reliable and trustworthy god-rogue.
Absolutely unable to make progress, right?
Quitting in five minutes, right?』
– I believe in the god-rogue, believe.
– At least up to the Dullahan cam negotiation, this is 100%, lOLOLOL
– I’m a little worried.
– Why?
– It’s already been an hour, and hasn’t even reached the first checkpoint. What’s there to be worried about?
– No, it’s strange that she hasn’t reached it yet.
– What, do you think she is intentionally not going there? LOLOLOL
『Writer: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: Anyone Who’s Played Rogue, come Here』
『How’s CravingWarmAmericano’s progress?
Does it look like she’ll clear?』
– Distance-wise, they’ve covered about 15%.
– Oh, at this point, it’s really looking like she’ll give up, lOLOLOL, good good.
– But I don’t think that’s the case.”
– ㄴㄴ ??Why?
– ㄴㄴ I saw Revan playing last time, and it looked fun, so I tried it. But GetDevoured is doing better now than when I cleared it.
– ㄴㄴ ???Nonsense. If that were true, you would’ve cleared it too.
– ㄴㄴ What do you mean by ‘better’?
– ㄴㄴ Just everything… I didn’t even know boar hunting was possible; I thought you’d just die if you encountered one.
* * * *
Softly descending sunlight.
Dwindling embers, with arrows falling onto them.
Unable to move my head any longer, a single white flower that symbolized a peaceful time gradually expanded in my static view—until it went dark.
Six hours since I started ‘The Rogue’. The rogue in the screen, clad in a striking hood, was meeting his end while leaning against a tree.
I had lost count of how many deaths there had been. Even though it was surely well into double digits, the aching in my chest was always the same. At least, I left in a somewhat romantic scene.
It was a method I devised by entirely devoting my fifth life, simply because I hated the sight of my character collapsing pathetically after meticulously gathering supplies. If it seemed too late, leaning against a tree allowed me to maintain dignity in death.
However, a more poetic end didn’t change anything.
‘The Rogue’ was a game true to the essence of roguelike, where nothing but the player’s skill carried over.
In other words, I had just lost all the resources I had accumulated in the past hour.
“Coming empty-handed, leaving empty-handed”, they say. What was all that effort for?
Honestly… I felt hollow.
“… I was too greedy. If I hadn’t obsessed over fishing and had hidden deeper, I probably wouldn’t have been caught.”
Who could I blame? When striving for extreme efficiency, paying the price was sometimes inevitable.
As I pressed the retry button, I glanced at the chat window.
『Ah, the bonfire was nice.』
『Damn those Empire bastards, they all need to die.』
『This game is freaking hard.』
『Isn’t this person a great sword broadcaster?』
『Nah, fishing was fine, but the camouflage was lacking.』
『Too many arrows; can you even make a shield?』
『Are you not progressing…?』
It wasn’t difficult to find people in the chat expressing their regrets. It felt like they were echoing my own sentiments… and I didn’t mind that at all.
… Although, it seemed it wasn’t like this just moments ago.
When had things changed so drastically?
Though it had been a while since I had checked the chat window, as I was utterly absorbed in playing a game more demanding of my focus than KoK, the shift seemed dramatic enough to believe it was from another broadcast.
At first, everyone clearly enjoyed themselves…then there were messages filled with apologies like “We were wrong, please forgive us…”
But then, all of a sudden, there were more messages like “We understand the Rogue, but please play KoK.”
Regardless, it was gratifying to see many people deeply immersed in the game. After all, this current challenge, along with the recent games I had played, was among my favorites. It was always pleasing when others enjoyed what I loved.
As I watched the loading bar at the bottom of the screen gradually fill, I ran through the simulation in my mind once more.
Self-sufficiency…seemed possible.
“Securing water and then ambushing the enemy camp first seems like the best strategy. We can secure food and tents there, and then head straight to high ground to set up camp. If we stay in one place, our pursuers will keep coming…and without a good view, we can’t respond to the fifth group of pursuers that ambushes us.”
『Climbing the mountain is the only way, no arguments about it』
『For real, you need to look from above』
『Is this game really like this?』
『Doesn’t the constant pursuit imply we should quickly join the hero party without dilly-dallying?』
『Normally, you’d move before the pursuit catches up, right, teacher?』
『Maybe not lighting a fire would stop them from coming?』
『How about focusing on gathering?』
Watching the chat window throwing out various ideas, I finished my shoulder stretches. When the loading was complete, a familiar landscape appeared on the screen. First things first…stripping clothes off corpses and moving. They could be used as kindling after all.
It would be ideal if this map had a hill near the river. Securing a safe base camp for an extended period required careful consideration of the terrain.
This time, I hoped to establish a stable environment…and carve a flute, enjoying the campfire’s glow as I played.
A sense of challenge, similar to competitive spirit, stirred within me. It was a rare feeling of immersion, born from the game’s enticing difficulty – neither too easy nor too hard. It made me reluctant to quit but keen on achieving my goal.
Clearing enough space to light a campfire left no time to carve a flute, and if I risked gathering other resources, the pursuers would find me…where would I find the balance?
Maybe it was better to avoid the river and find a defensible spot in the mountains. I could rely on rainwater for drinking…no, that would mean giving up fishing.
The joy of living in nature was, after all, 70% the satisfaction of catching your own food with your own hands.
Hunting that felt like a battle or the laborious task of gathering alone left something to be desired… something lacking.
-The Hero has donated 1,000 KRW!-
【Not coming…?】
Ah.
That…
I’ll go. I’ll go.
Just, a little bit more.