Thanks to the active investment from Faraday Games, the broadcaster competition “Untouchables” had achieved massive success.
One of the illustrious inaugural winners, Revan, glared at his phone screen, abandoning his preparations for streaming. It was because of a message from a former colleague.
『Lee Yena: Do you play the guitar?』
What on earth could that mean?
If she was asking whether he knew how to play the guitar, the answer was yes. Even for someone who disliked boasting, he could confidently say he wouldn’t disgrace himself when asked if he could play “a bit”.
But he was quite sure he had never mentioned anything about it. It wasn’t a typical question.
『Do you play the guitar?』
If it was small talk, she could have asked, “Do you play any instruments?”
Specifically pointing out the guitar was strange. Revan lightly shook his head. When it came to Lee Yena, the more he thought about it, the more complicated things got. From his experience, it was always better to let things flow.
Come to think of it, had he handed over the right to decide the penalty to her?
He resented himself for not suppressing his sudden burst of competitiveness. Even if he went back to that moment, he knew he would react the same way.
Nevertheless, Lee Yena had a natural talent for pressing people’s buttons; she might be even better at it than KoK.
“Maybe it has something to do with the content for the penalty… No, she’s not one to ponder over content this much. What is it, really?”
Revan combined various words, symbols, and emojis on his screen before deleting them all. The only remaining message was the terse “I can play.”
Why was she asking, really?
If her intention was to throw him a puzzling question that would make him think constantly, it was a huge success. Would she come to the after-party? He found himself increasingly curious about what kind of person she really was.
But he didn’t want to badger her after specifically asking her not to feel pressured. His wish for her to feel no burden was also genuine.
Revan glanced over to the Tw*tch screen logged in under his alternate account. Lately, Lee Yena’s broadcast consistently displayed unfamiliar thumbnails.
He knew what game it was.
Many of her viewers who sought his broadcast had expressed their frustrations, saying, “GetDevoured hasn’t done a single match in KoK since the competition, sir… please, just say something.”
For some reason… Wasn’t there something about a dojo challenge? Doing it with a live cam on, though no one had asked her to.
A live cam.
Revan still had around 30 minutes until his regular broadcast was scheduled to start. While he had to prepare by putting on VR equipment, putting something on in the background should be fine.
“Maybe if I check the broadcast for a moment, I could figure out what she’s talking about.”
Just as he moved his mouse with that thought, his phone lightly vibrated in his hand.
『Lee Yena: Oh』
『Lee Yena: As I thought』
『Lee Yena: Do you happen to like fire as well?』
It was still an incomprehensible question.
* * * *
On a gentle hill under the setting sun, a small flame flickered to life. There were tents giving a sense of everyday life, fishing rods lined up in a row, and meats on skewers sizzling over the campfire.
In this picturesque scene that seemed to embody peaceful rural life, a man in a hood sat in front of the fire. Occasionally, he moved his hand to toss in more kindling, then brought the cooked meat to his mouth.
“It’s peaceful.”
『Peace?』
『It’s been less than 5 minutes since a hundred people died, teacher』
『How did you even do it for real?』
『Your hands must still smell like blood』
『What did the Empire do so wrong!』
『Ah, this is real fire contemplation』
There weren’t many who agreed with the sentiment uttered naturally. Maybe it was because they hadn’t experienced camping. There was a certain charm to it after all.
Even if there was just one person, satisfaction could be gained. Camping was inherently a slightly lonely hobby. Eight out of ten people who claimed they were interested would hesitate when the time came, and few of those who actually came along would express a desire to go again. This was a sad truth learned through experience.
It couldn’t be helped. The conveniences provided by modern civilization were addictive. However, there was a unique charm in the discomfort one felt from escaping it.
Securing a spot and lighting a campfire not in a fully equipped campground, but in a wild, forest-like setting…
The creator of The Rogue seemed to be someone quite serious about such a natural lifestyle. One could tell just from the detail in how the fire flickered.
Feeling the fire weakening, he picked up the poker beside him and lightly poked the logs being licked by the flames. His control had become quite skilled. It felt like it was just yesterday when his hand got dragged into the fire, leading to a meaningless death.
It really might have just been yesterday.
“This farming session was quite rewarding. I even got this poker. Somehow, using this poker, it feels like more oxygen flows in… doesn’t it?”
『It’s not a farming game…』
『Poker (Centurion’s Sword)』
『Until when will this damn game last』
“Kya, the atmosphere is awesome.”
“Please, look up at the sky.”
Someone who knew something about this had arrived. As I smoothly rolled the mouse up, the view captured a night sky filled with stars, with the sun having long set.
It would have been better with a bit of hazy smoke rising up. Maybe they should sell it as a DLC…
-The Emperor has sponsored 1,000 won!-
『What’s this? Lost again? This time it was a total wipeout!』
– “Is the pursuit squad still around?”
– “With all counted, it feels like we’ve killed about a thousand.”
– “At this rate, isn’t she more like the Demon King?”
– “Then why is she bothering with being a rogue?”
– “Still, the battles are quite entertaining to watch.”
– “Sniff sniff, the Emperor just trying to kill the Demon King for world peace…”
Ah, the pursuit squad. I didn’t know how many attacks were implemented in the game, but… now that I think about it, it was about time for another night raid.
I wanted to savor a bit more leisure.
But, I wasn’t confident I could survive the next attack. As if peace were a privilege of the strong, each time I repelled the enemy, they returned with reinforcements more than 50% stronger.
-ㅇㅇ has sponsored 1,000 won!-
『If you run right to the hero’s party now, it feels like it’ll end. It’s surprisingly close.』
Maybe so. Come to think of it, there’s been an arrow on the minimap for a while. Heading in that direction a bit would lead to where the comrades were waiting… It was probably indicating something like that.
Seeing the fervent agreement in the chat, it seemed indeed close.
It wasn’t intentional. Through engagements, retreats, and repeated hunts, I found myself in a good spot.
Was I being guided by the unseen hand of meticulous level design?
Thinking that way somehow made me not want to join them.
“But… wouldn’t the hero’s party have already set off to capture the Demon King, grateful for the sacrifices made by the rogue? Suddenly appearing now feels like resurrecting at a funeral. It doesn’t seem polite.”
But indeed. That wasn’t what mattered right now. I typed the commands to pull out secondary equipment on the keyboard.
In the screen, my avatar put its hand into its vest and carefully drew out a finely crafted piece of equipment—a slender, short, finely carved piece of wood.
『Isn’t it?』
『Oh, can you play in this game too? What a god-tier game;』
『Stop』
『Arghhhhhhhhh』
『Please, just play the music』
『Why is everyone suddenly losing their minds??』
『Pursuit squad!! Pursuit squad!!!!!!!!!!』
『Please, before it’s too late for the empire’s last forces』
Thanks to the time I had invested, I managed to create a reasonably decent-looking flute. Unfortunately, it did not have a playing function.
I could just play in reality, but… still, it was a pity. After all, ensemble pieces are the best. There could have been a flute and ocarina duet.
Wind instrument duets were surprisingly not bad. It was even better if string or percussion instruments joined in.
Coincidentally, Revan, who looked like he could play the guitar, turned out to actually know how to play it… If he could handle the lute, it would be perfect. Would he?
I didn’t know if this game had multiplayer mode, but if by chance…
Oh… there’s no DLC either. Why not, I wonder.
I mentally noted to email the developer. My to-do list kept getting longer, but… I thought I could handle it bit by bit.
It’s a bad habit, shoveling everything onto the future me.
The thought of email tickled something in my memory… it felt like there was something my past self had also shoved aside. Maybe I should check my email after this broadcast.
But right now, I didn’t want to waste energy on such tasks. I moved my hand and put the flute to my mouth. There was no animation, but didn’t it still make a decent picture?
The flickering flames, the glistening rivers. And the crackling sound of burning. It was quite an exceptional stage for performing a piece after a long time. Even more so for performing alone.
It would have been nice to play in an ensemble.
“Oh. By the way, did I mention that there’s an after-party? I’m not sure if I can go, but anyway.”
That could be considered later. Right now, it was time to show off my ocarina playing skills. I had practiced hard. Considering the pursuit squad cooldown, I would have time for about five… no, six songs.