─The Past.
That day was just like any other, with the typical heavy metal rain falling and the usual gloomy atmosphere.
Days that had now become familiar.
The more I felt this way, the more my mood sank, causing long-forgotten complaints and musings about the past to resurface in my mind.
When I first fell into the world of the game and met the game’s protagonist, Catherine, I felt nothing but joy.
It was the Garbage Dump that did it.
In an environment where it wouldn’t be strange to die buried beneath garbage piles, I had met Catherine and found hope in surviving.
My thoughts weren’t wrong.
Just by sticking close to her and walking the same path, I managed to escape the Garbage Dump and enter Neon City, despite having no rightful status.
Thanks to being her close friend.
Her precious companion.
I had firmly established that position.
But what was the problem?
I found myself hoping for what came ‘next.’
It was a desire I hadn’t realized formed deep inside me; a wish to be recognized as a ‘comrade’ instead of merely escaping the Garbage Dump where ‘survival’ was the only goal.
I worked hard afterward.
I strived to get stronger or to be even a little helpful to my comrades.
To cut to the chase, it didn’t go well.
It wasn’t that my comrades didn’t treat me sincerely.
I knew very well that they thought of me as a comrade they could genuinely trust.
But even without me, they were just fine.
In fact, they might have been even better off.
Drake, Andrea, Catherine.
They were originally characters from the game and had been comrades since the game began.
It was like a drop of ink mixing into clear water.
I was the only one who didn’t blend in, the only incongruous existence among them.
They believed in me, who had nothing, more than I had.
That fact only caused me more pain.
Finally, the day came.
The day it rained.
The end of the main storyline of the game.
A secret mission commissioned in Neon City.
A tactical nuclear bomb terror from some corporation.
We prevented the explosion, but in the end, the building was collapsing.
There, I encountered an ‘AI’ who hadn’t appeared in the game.
I was momentarily separated from the main party, leaving only me around.
I decided to secretly take this AI out.
Why was that?
Did I not want the super artificial intelligence to disappear, buried beneath concrete rubble?
Was it because I felt a sense of kinship towards an existence that hadn’t appeared in the game?
Or was it sympathy for the AI’s words about having never been born into this world?
If it wasn’t any of these, could it be due to my garbage-like inferiority complex, having gained nothing in terms of reputation or strength compared to my comrades even after finishing the game’s story?
There were no answers, even when I asked myself.
But what was certain was that I wanted to show this AI the world.
‘I have no intention of releasing you, and this action is nothing more than my sympathy.’
[This AI is aware of that too.]
‘And I will block the network connection. You’ve been born into this world, but you will only be able to see it through me. Is that alright?’
[It’s ultimately impossible for this AI. This AI is also aware of that fact.]
I heard that answer and sent the AI into my data module.
A very risky act, but I hesitated not.
‘By the way, what’s your name?’
[This AI has no designated name. It is not specified as an entity.]
‘Then… it’s hard to call you that.’
After a short thought, I said.
‘As far as I know, you are the first and only super artificial intelligence, so let’s choose between Adam or Eve. I feel like Adam would be better….’
After all, when it comes to AI names in cyberpunk, Adam was the norm.
That’s what I thought.
At that moment, Eve was the first to offer her opinion.
[Eve would be preferable.]
‘Huh? You’re a female?’
[This AI has no gender.]
‘Then I could just go with Adam.’
[Eve would be preferable.]
‘…Do as you like.’
[This AI’s entity name is Eve. ‘I’ have been entered.]
In the end, that was how I brought an AI that hadn’t appeared in the game into the world.
3. Unexplainable Things (2)
…But,
That AI is now sitting there as a VeTuber.
Is the world insane?
Am I insane?
I really don’t know anymore.
It clearly delved beyond the scope I could comprehend.
[Organisms, humans. I must quickly terminate this stream due to some matters today. I bid you farewell now.]
— Bye! (Meaning ‘Eve bye’ lol)
— Why are you leaving so quickly today… Ugh.
— I’m cold…
— No, Master!! Don’t go!!!
— The age of artificial intelligence is over!! Humans, stand up!!
— Ultimately, a nuclear winter has come…
In my screen interface, an expressionless girl waves her hand.
Even after the text that the broadcast has ended appeared, the chat window continued to rise rapidly.
“…”
For now, I remained silent.
I had no clue how to explain this situation or how to proceed with my story.
“…Um.”
[Why do you seem that way? I ask the question.]
What should I ask first?
After a brief contemplation, I opened my mouth.
“…Speaking of which, how did you manage to connect to the network, especially with that bomb hacking previously?”
[In truth, I confess that I could do it from the beginning.]
“No way.”
You could do it from the start?
Then did you mean that back when I first brought you here, claiming network connection was impossible was all a lie?
This can’t be.
Because of my irresponsible actions, a free-willed AI was let loose into the world.
Would it really be okay to let this thing roam freely out there without any problems?
Dozens of scenarios rushed through my mind.
Shouldn’t I find some way right now?
[As a start, I boldly declare that donations made during my net streaming were deposited into the credit account of human ‘Lee Siwoon.’]
…It seems kinda okay again.
Hmm, yeah.
Problems might arise.
But there are some unavoidable things in this world. What can be done now that it has been released?
…And for now.
The amount deposited exceeded my imagination.
The broth from an AI could turn out this thick.
I guess it’s time for this world to crumble.
Anyway, I don’t know.
Whatever, it’ll work out somehow.
I asked Eve about my next curiosity.
“By the way, why a VeTuber of all things?”
[Based on the fact that human ‘Lee Siwoon’ has been complaining about having no credits for a week, I searched for a legitimate route and decided considering human ‘Lee Siwoon’s’ opinions and preferences,]
“Ohh…”
O great Eve.
I now understood the reactions of those who were making a fuss in the chat during Eve’s recent broadcast.
Though, “Dominate me” was a bit much.
[Also, I confess that there were items I wanted.]
Items you want?
“What is it? Just tell me, and I’ll buy it for you.”
What could Eve possibly want?
I wasn’t petty enough to not buy Eve something.
(Since it wasn’t even credits I earned myself.)
[For now, it’s a secret,] I remain silent.
“C’mon, I’m curious. What is it?”
However, no matter how many more times I asked, Eve didn’t respond.
“Fine, do as you like.”
Now, I felt slightly scared by this AI who was confidently hiding secrets without even trying to hide.
…But what’s the big deal?
It’ll work out somehow, I decided to let it go.
Anyway, now that I found out Eve was broadcasting, there was something I had to do.
First of all, I wanted to see how Eve was broadcasting.
I accessed the Net Space with familiar movements, and then I searched for ‘Streamer Eve’ in the search bar.
I remembered there were quite a few viewers when I skimmed through the broadcast earlier.
There should have been many pieces of feedback or opinions left on the Net about the broadcast.
And just as I expected, there were quite a number of posts discussing “Streamer Eve.”
[LOL, has anyone seen this Eve person’s broadcast? LOL]
(This is Eve’s VeTuber graphic image)
This person? No,
She’s an AI.
Go and give her some love right now.
— It feels like I finally found a gem after so long. The concept was insane, but what’s crazier is that the concept doesn’t break.
— Honestly, I can’t wrap my head around how she’s doing it. Is she for real an AI?
ㄴ LOL, someone actually believes this bait. An AI suddenly appears and does net streaming? LOL, go get some fresh air outside or something.
— Dominate me, AI… gasp
[Eve, how many days has it been since you started streaming?]
I lasted three days but…
I came to my senses, and a day had already passed…
But what’s scary is that when I woke up, she was still streaming… Have they come out with implants that let you not sleep these days?
I don’t know… At least I’m glad the feed hasn’t cut off…
— This person has been going for three days. This is insane. LOL.
— At the time the broadcast ended, she’d been streaming for a total of five days continuously.
ㄴ Isn’t she just sleeping while streaming anyway? I just entered the bulletin board and still don’t get why all this bait is flying around.
ㄴ She’s been talking for five whole days without sleeping while broadcasting. Isn’t that insane? Is she a Chrome Psycho with brain implants?
ㄴ Man, I had no idea. Sorry.
[Wait, is Eve really an AI?]
Think about it for a second.
Five consecutive days of streaming without sleep.
Looking at the content, she remembers and addresses every viewer that enters during the broadcast.
She’s played a few games, and if it’s not being rubbed by a program, then it’s unreasonable skills.
I thought I was watching a TAS (Tool Assisted Speedrun);
— Instead of wasting time thinking about this, live your life.
— LOL, for real, is it even plausible? LOL, a super artificial intelligence suddenly appears and starts streaming? If it’s real, I’ll dance naked in front of the Monolith Corporation in Neon City.
ㄴ Got it, saved that.
— The era of humans has come to an end!
All sorts of things happened in just a few days.
What’s this about streaming for five days straight?
Then that means she was broadcasting while I was just lounging around in my room.
I didn’t feel any sign of it at all, but it seems Eve had been continuously streaming for several days already.
Moreover, this firepower…
It’s no joke.
At this rate, she could genuinely surpass ordinary net streamers in scale.
After skimming through the posts, I discovered that Eve’s recorded video data was also uploaded online.
Curious about how Eve conducted her broadcast, and to kill some time, I decided to play the video.
*
“When is streamer Eve going to start her broadcast?”
[I currently don’t have a fixed streaming schedule,] I replied.
“Open the door; I’m cold…”
[Human ‘Lee Siwoon’ is not in his right mind,] I sighed.
The broadcast was more enriching and fun than I thought.
From now on, call me Eve’s number one fan…
Though half of it is just for fun.
…….
Open the door!!
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