“It’s been quite a ruckus, huh?”
“Anyway, let’s get the basic avatar setup sorted. Looks like the character creation and settings are just about done.”
I moved my avatar, which looked just like Camilla, around and opened my mouth.
“Shall we head into the game? The one I got recommended last time, yes, the police SWAT game. Was it a two-player or four-player game?”
If I got the people around me involved, I could easily gather up to four players. I could call one person right away.
“Looks like I’m the village bicycle, huh? Just call me whenever you’re bored.”
[Kayak Squad’s 1st Sword Riri has appeared ㄷㄷ]
[I was on standby for 5 minutes LOL]
[INFO) On Riri’s day off, you can often spot her while watching Kayak’s broadcast.]
[Calling makes her come right away, huh?]
[Riri who’s trapped in Kayak’s clutches….]
[Hey, are you planning to betray the Teacher’s kindness?]
Even though her mouth was grumbling, Riri immediately responded to my call. I was a bit taken aback and asked back.
“You were watching my broadcast anyway, right? I saw you in the viewer list and asked you to come over.”
“When did I say that… But still, watching the broadcast and actually appearing is different!”
I roughly understood what she meant. As far as I knew, Riri was taking a break today and had been watching my stream as part of her rest.
Even I often catch Riri or Nicang or other streamers’ broadcasts when I’m on a break. But being suddenly pulled in after chilling out like that could be a bit jarring.
“But if I don’t call you and play with someone else, you’d pout and say you were left out.”
“….”
I’ve half figured out Riri’s psychology and behavior patterns by now. It seemed she couldn’t retort to that, so she kept quiet.
And thus began ‘police swat.’ For now, we decided to play in two-player mode.
*
“O….”
The background suddenly started changing. An epic soundtrack began blaring, and we moved into a space filled with guns and emblems symbolizing the police.
Even during the test, I had felt it was a very strange sensation. It felt like my body was still in reality but my vision had moved somewhere else?
Feeling like I moved?
Surprisingly, the game and the world viewed in VR don’t lose quality at all, making it even more impressive.
As I was admiring my surroundings, Riri’s voice came in through Discord.
“Did you log in?”
“Yeah.”
“Make sure the chat window is set up so you can see it well. But honestly, when I’m in VR broadcasting, I can’t really see the chat. It’s just too chaotic.”
It made sense. If the chat window is too visible, it could interfere with gameplay.
According to what viewers and Riri told me, this game can be a bit intense even when played on a computer. Skills like quick reflexes and physical prowess are crucial.
Now, playing it in VR, those elements would be even more pronounced, not less. Reading the chat and interacting in that situation? That’s just nonsense.
Honestly, when I’m busy chasing down criminals and shooting, just having the chat window in front of me not block my view would be a blessing.
In fact, Riri said she experienced similar scenarios, and when broadcasting in VR, she leaves chat management entirely to her managers.
Seeing her do that made me realize I wouldn’t be able to manage it either, so I handed the chat management over to one of my regular managers, Kim Jae-jun. I also pushed the chat window to the edge of the screen where it would be less distracting.
“Guys, I probably won’t be able to read the chat much while playing. I figured it would block my view, so I moved it. Please don’t be too upset… but I’ve set up the donations to make a sound, so if you have something to say, do it through donations.”
[Fundraising from a chatless stream?]
[LOL, telling people to donate if they have something to say.]
[Communication king Kayak, come backㅠㅠㅠ]
[Kayak, who used to read the chat even during high-ranked matches…]
[But VR games really do look chaotic; there’s no time to read the chat.]
[Gotta move like a special forces agent too, LOL.]
[Free eye candy cut!]
[Those chat window squatters got what they deserved, LOL.]
Of course, I wasn’t saying I wouldn’t read the chat at all. I planned to read it whenever I had a moment. If I just played without engaging with the chat, would that even be considered a broadcast? It would just be a live gameplay video.
Right now was about preparing for any unexpected situations. That was also why I entrusted chat management to Kim Jae-jun.
It was also because of that that Kim Jae-jun was entrusted with managing the chat window.
“If you’re all set, just accept the invite. You just need to hit the interaction button, okay? Looks like you made it. If you start feeling nauseous, let me know. You might have been fine during the test, but when you actually get into the game, it can hit you out of nowhere.”
Riri was showing quite the professional side.
Perhaps because I had only seen her clumsy side rather than her smart one during our first meeting in the Abyss and at other times, her current demeanor was both unfamiliar and refreshing.
Following Riri’s words, I accepted the party invite and finished getting ready.
“Shall we try a one-star mission first? Take down the terrorists who have occupied the building and rescue the hostages.”
“A one-star is the easiest, huh? Where can I see the mission list?”
“Just check the file folder next to the map.”
We were currently in a place that resembled a briefing room out of a movie. The lights were off as if a meeting had just wrapped up, and various documents were scattered on a long conference table.
I took a look at the file folder Riri mentioned.
“A bomb maker crafting homemade explosives, an illegal drug dealer, a serial killer… just hearing those names gives me the chills, right?”
We hadn’t even entered yet. There was enough time for us to chat in the chat window for a bit.
[Just looking at their faces, they look seriously scary.]
[These incidents are based on real-life events that happened in America.]
[Even now, things are happening in the land of the free in real-time…]
[But both of them probably haven’t fired a gun before; can they really do this?]
[For real, two people in the party have never served!]
[But it’s VR; what does it matter if we’ve shot a gun or not?]
[Surprisingly, the details are well-verified.]
[Something about ballistics… and tactics…]
“Is this party okay with just two people who haven’t served? Right? Well, if we just start shooting, we might hit something, right? Dahee, have you ever shot a gun in VR before?”
“No, this is my first time with this kind of game. But I don’t think we necessarily need to use guns. There are shields and clubs here, you know?”
Riri answered as she headed towards the area next to the conference room. As I moved in that direction, sure enough, there it was. A variety of weapons were lined up, indicating that this place was some sort of armory.
“Is it a pick-your-weapon situation? We can carry multiple, but there’s a weight limit.”
“Is this a ‘pick whatever you want’ situation? I can grab multiple things, but there’s a weight limit.”
“Looks like I can only bring one axe.”
[What kind of police walks around with an axe?]
[Sometimes you need an axe to bust down doors, you know.]
[I heard that in 1989, in Texas, the police even used an axe to take down a criminal.]
[Whoa!!]
[That’s super intense, kinda scary.]
“There’s a practice range next door. Should we shoot a gun a few times before we go?”
“Sounds good! If you feel unsure, you can switch to a shield or an axe.”
Next to us was a shooting range, as if they were telling us to choose our weapons and set everything up before the game began. It felt just like an FPS game.
“Can we just shoot randomly?”
Riri grabbed a rifle and rushed into the shooting range, firing away without a care. It didn’t sound exactly like real gunfire, but you could definitely tell she was shooting.
How many times did we hear those gunshots? When Riri came out of the booth, I could check the shooting results with her.
“Umm…”
[So tragic, lol]
[7 hits out of 30? Hmm…]
[Where did those 23 shots disappear to?]
[Surprisingly, for a first try, that’s pretty good.]
[Is the accuracy usually this low?]
[As long as we don’t hit a hostage while shooting, we’re good, lol.]
[Hostages also get shot and die, right? Riri can’t shoot to save her life.]
[Guess I should grab a shield, huh?]
“I had a feeling this would happen.”
Without any further ado, Riri turned around and headed to the weapons room to get a shield.
I thought, why not just try one round and then come back for the shield? But since she wanted the shield, I didn’t plan to stop her.
So, is it my turn now?
I pulled out the rifle and pistol I had equipped and stepped into the shooting range.
Oh, maybe it’s because it’s VR, but it feels different from just an FPS game. It feels… real, somehow. Old memories were bubbling back up.
[Kayak should shoot well too, right?]
[For real, lol, the Broadcast Host can do anything.]
[Kayak has talent, she does everything well, yep.]
[Look at these guys putting pressure on her, lol.]
[No matter how talented Kayak is, VR shooting isn’t… a simple click-and-shoot game, lol.]
Well, I wonder how it really will be.
With the viewers’ anticipation, I slung the rifle over my shoulder.
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